The Falling Darkness
by Hikawa Kajinendo
Summary: -Sequel to The Harbinger Cards- Benevolence... Valor... Wisdom... Three years have passed, and more danger has appeared at last! In their clash against the darkness, will our beloved heroes prevail? Or will they fall? SxS and ExT primarily CANCELLED
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: CCS ain't mine, that's fer sure!

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Phase 0: Prologue

It was a silent night in Atsuta-ku, Nagoya, in the Aichi prefecture in Japan. An officer was making his rounds when he heard a sudden and loud crash. He was near the Atsuta Shrine, a very important place. For rumored to be within lay the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, one of the Three Imperial Regalia of Japan.

But what could not be known to any normal human was that it itself was a magically powerful artifact. Said to have been removed from the body of the great serpent, Yamata no Orochi by Susanoo, brother of the goddess Amaterasu, it contains power that has been sealed away for the greater good.

The officer, curious about the noise, ran as fast as he could towards the shrine, only to see it in ruins. He gasped as he saw a man, face hidden by the darkness of the night, holding in his hands the legendary Kusanagi. "S-Set the sword down, and put your hands where I can see them!" the officer commanded, withdrawing his pistol. "I-I will shoot!"

"Oh, will you now?" What frightened the officer was the snakelike tone of the stranger's voice, and how his eyes glowed yellow. "But I guarantee that you will not.

"I command thee, rise! _Honoo no Shita_!" From the ground beneath the officer's feet burst serpents of fire, coiling around him. His scream of anguish was quickly cut short, as he was consumed and burned into ashes.

"The sword is mine," the man sneered. "And with it, I wield complete control over the eight elements!"

0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0

In the city of Ise in Mie prefecture, a similar event was taking place. A small crowd of passersby gathered around the ruins of the Ise Shrine, murmuring. Many were outraged that such an insult would be paid to the shrine dedicated to the goddess Amaterasu.

Soon, everyone saw the culprit. A woman, golden hair flowing in the night wind, watched the small crowd with amusement in her eyes. There were vaguely catlike, and glowing green. "Hmmm, so I've attracted some attention, have I? Perfect..."

"What are you doing?" a man shouted from within the crowd; soon the attention of all was upon the object she held in her hands. "That is the Yata no Kagami, the sacred mirror! How dare you steal it!"

"I'm just putting it to good use," she purred in reply, smiling. "Let me give you an example. _Ketsugou Raito_!" Lifting the mirror above her head as she spoke those words, the Yata no Kagami let out a blinding flash of light, and when it faded the crowd collapsed to the ground. They were still alive, but left soulless by the power of the mirror.

They were now nothing but empty shells.

"The Kagami belongs to me now," she said to them, though they could no longer hear her words. "With it, I can render all my foes disabled!"

0-o-0-o-0-o-0

The only Imperial Regalia left untouched, the Yasakani no Magatama. The necklace of jade jewels shaped as an orb with a flowing tail, a comma-like shape, it resides within the Kokyo, the Tokyo Imperial Palace. Sensing the power of the other Imperial Regalia, it glowed and shivered. The sealing beads of benevolence, it sensed the power of powerful magical items being misused.

But there was nothing the Yasakani no Magatama could do. It was only a jade necklace; by itself it could do nothing. It would take one with powerful magical abilities to use it to stop and reseal the other two objects. One such as a certain magic user residing in Tomoeda…

0-o-0-o-0-o-0

_Death and destruction ran rampant across the world, many losing their lives. A teenage girl with short auburn hair, her emerald eyes shining with tears, stood with a staff topped by a star within a circle with wings. Behind her lay the motionless bodies of several people._

_A beautiful girl with fair skin, her amethyst eyes shut tight. Her raven hair lay strewn about her, a shattered video camera in her hand._

_A handsome boy with navy-hair, his blue eyes closed behind his glasses. In his hands he clutched a staff topped by a sun, his black cloak, with sparkles like the stars in the night sky, laying over him like a shroud._

_A girl with wavy dark brown hair pulled into a ponytail, tears rolling from her closed sapphire eyes. Her daggers lay about her, the once-shining kanji character on each hilt dulled lifelessly._

_Close by lay a young mage with unruly dark green hair, chocolate-brown eyes shut. His staff, which bore a crescent moon supported by a pair of dragon wings, lay loosely in his still hands._

_But slowly opening his eyes, steadily getting back to his feet was the love of the auburn-haired girl, a Chinese boy with messy brown hair. His grip on his sword tightened as he looked at the girl with worried amber eyes. "Sakura!"_

_She didn't seem to hear him as she removed from around her neck a necklace of jade rosary beads, facing a man and a woman. The man held a double-edged sword, shaped liked calamus and fashioned in a white metallic color; the woman held a beautiful mirror, the length of eight hands._

_He could only watch as the three objects glowed, their holders placing huge amounts of magical energy into them. He realized what she was planning, and tears fell like raindrops. "No! Sakura!"_

_The Cardmistress held back her tears, though it was a challenge. "Goodbye… Syaoran."_

A sixteen-year-old young man woke with a start, in a cold sweat. Syaoran looked at his hands, pale and sweaty. _That wasn't an ordinary dream… could this… could it be part of the catastrophe Aiko-san warned us about?_

**Author's Notes: I'M BACK!! Did y'all miss me (though I wasn't away very long)? So what do think? Could this truly be the great disaster Aiko foresaw? Well, knowing me... it could be! It might take awhile for the next chapter to be put up since school started, but I'll do my best for my dedicated readers! -happy dance- Stay TUNED!**

Translation Notes:

_Honoo no Shita_--"Tongues of Flame"

_Ketsugou Raito_--"Binding Light"


	2. The Shining Sun

Disclaimer: Cardcaptor Sakura does not belong to me. It is the property of the wonderful women of CLAMP.

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Phase I: The Shining Sun

"Saaakuuuuraaaa…"

"Mm…"

"Sakuraaaaaa…"

"Five more minutes…"

"SAKURA!"

"Hoeeeee?!" Awakened by the shout of a little yellow plush toy, the sixteen-year-old girl fell out of bed, landing with a _thud_ on the bedroom floor. Kinomoto Sakura had grown quite a bit in the last three years since the battle against the Master of the Harbinger Cards, more in charm and cuteness than in height, though. She no longer tied her auburn hair into twin bunches on both sides of her head; rather she let it fall loosely down, nearly to her shoulders. Some things still hadn't changed, however: the young Cardmistress still didn't wake up early in the morning.

"Geez, you're already sixteen!" Kero complained, floating above her as she stared at the ceiling in confusion. He landed on the bed, crossing his arms and shaking his head. "You really need to get more organized."

"Kero-chan! I noticed you're still a glutton!" Sakura glanced at the clock, shocked by the time. "Oh no! I'm going to be late!"

With record-breaking speed, she changed out of her pajamas into the Seijou Koukou High School uniform. "Bye, Kero-chan!"

She didn't forget to do what she had always done for the past several years. Stopping by the framed picture of Kinomoto Nadeshiko, Sakura smiled. "Good morning, okaa-san."

"Ah, good morning, Sakura." Fujitaka came out of the kitchen, a tray of breakfast in his hands. He set it down on the table, smiling.

"Good morning, otou-san!" she said, seating herself. As she had done in elementary and middle school, the young Cardmistress devoured her food swiftly but neatly. After a very short fit of coughing from choking on some hastily swallowed food, she dashed to the doorway, slipping off her slippers and putting on her roller blades. "Ittekimasu!"

"Itterashai!" her father called out as she sped off. This time, Sakura had no time to enjoy the scenery on her way to school. She really would be late if she didn't hurry.

To the teenager's surprise, she encountered both Ametori Koryu and Hanenendo Aiko at the school gates. The mage still had unruly dark green hair, though his chocolate-brown eyes no longer held the slight cold gleam they once did. His eyes had softened quite a bit over the past three years, mostly because of Aiko. The girl's hairstyle hadn't changed much, but she wore a bracelet on her left wrist whose links looked suspiciously like her eight elemental daggers.

"Koryu-kun! Aiko-chan! You aren't in yet?"

"No, Koryu forgot to wake me!"

"Sorry, I was kept up by Solarus! That wolf is still addicted to videogames!"

"Same as Kero-chan! Well, we better hurry, then!" As a group, they rushed in, quickly exchanging their shoes (or in Sakura's case, her rollerblades) for the school shoes. Aiko waved goodbye as she headed for her classroom on the first floor; she was only a first-year after all. Sakura and Koryu both went up to the second floor, being second-years, rushing.

"Almost there!"

"Hurry, Koryu-kun!" Just as they set foot in the classroom, the bell rang. "Yatta! We did it!"

"You cut it very close this time, Sakura-san, Koryu-san." A handsome boy with navy-blue hair and sapphire eyes smiled at them, pushing his glasses a little further up the bridge of his nose. Next to him, a beautiful girl with raven hair and shining amethyst eyes agreed.

"Eriol is right. You haven't changed much Sakura-chan! But I am a little surprised about you almost being late, Koryu-kun."

"Blame a certain little wolf," Koryu said, setting his bag down as he got into his seat. He was taken by surprise when a fist lightly rapped the top of his skull.

"Hey, I don't see how it's my fault."

"Syaoran!" Seemingly forgetting about her other classmates, Sakura leapt at her boyfriend, hugging him tightly. "Good morning!"

"Ah… S-Sakura!" Even after being her boyfriend for so long, Syaoran's face still turned a bright red. A girl with nut-brown hair tied into small braids on both sides of her head laughed, with her boyfriend Takashi Yamazaki smiling openly.

"But it's good we're all in the same class again after three years, isn't it?" Sasaki Rika asked her friends. "Last time we were all like this was back in eighth grade!"

"And some things still haven't changed," Yanagisawa Naoko commented. "And some things have! But Tomoyo-chan and Eriol-san do make a great couple!"

Tomoyo blushed, but Eriol, in his usual calm manner, said, "Perhaps, but second only to Sakura-san and my darling relative."

The amber-eyed boy glared at the calm teenager who was Clow Reed's reincarnation. "What have I said about calling me that?!"

"Ahem." They all turned to see a man with neat graying hair and a short little moustache giving them a knowing look. "It's time for class to begin."

"Sorry, Tateyu-sensei," they said synchronously, and went to their respective seats. Soon after, class began.

0-o-0-o-0-o-0

It was lunchtime now, and they were all gathered underneath the shade of a tall tree. It reminded them of the one back at Tomoeda Elementary, which they knew was being used by a new group of kids.

They were soon joined by Aiko, and prepared to have their taste buds numbed. The girl had recently taken to cooking, but she wasn't as bad as Sakura used to be. She was _worse_. And guess who her poor taste-testers were? Yup, you guessed it.

"This time I tried making something simpler, like you had suggested Koryu," she said softly, looking at her love. He nodded, not really feeling like saying anything. No matter how simple the dish was that she made, he would still be worried. "I hope it's good…"

Not wishing to give offense to their friend, Rika, Yamazaki, Chiharu, Naoko, Sakura, Syaoran, Tomoyo, Eriol, and especially Koryu each took one. Secretly exchanging scared looks, they plopped the little delicacies into their mouths. And were shocked.

"It's good!" Rika exclaimed, and the others shared her sentiments.

"Thank you," Aiko said. "I made more, if you want."

The remaining school hours swiftly passed, and Aiko was only too happy to give her friends some of her takoyaki to take home. Koryu grinned at his girlfriend. "I think simple dishes suit you better, love."

"You think so?" Aiko replied, blushing. Tomoyo giggled.

"He's right, Aiko-chan."

Eriol glanced at Sakura, asking, "Sakura-san, have you received word from your brother and Yukito-san?"

"Hai, they said they're doing really well in America!" Sakura replied. About two years earlier Toya and Yukito both moved to America to get jobs, but they had promised to keep in touch. Though she missed them, she knew they were happy.

Syaoran, though, was now beginning to feel that letting Yukito move so far away was not a good thing. He remembered his dream from earlier that day, and shivered.

"Syaoran? Are you okay?"

"Eh? O-Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry."

"Hey, everyone! Look at this!" Koryu and Aiko were staring at one of the television sets in the window at the local electronics store, which was showing the news. Sakura, Syaoran, Eriol, and Tomoyo all went over to see what the matter was.

"Last night, the Atsuta Shrine in the Aichi Prefecture and the Ise Shrine in the Mie Prefecture both were left in ruins," the reporter said. "Here is Nanashi-san reporting live at the remains of the Atsuta Shrine."

"Arigatou, Hanata-san," a young man said. "There were no witnesses to this unforgiveable and meaningless destruction of the Atsuta Shrine, but officials believe it was done to steal the sacred sword Kusanagi no Tsurugi, which was rumored to be within it. The Ise Shrine, which was said to hold the mirror Yata no Kagami, is believed to have been destroyed for a similar reason. But the scene at the Ise Shrine slightly differed from here, as Kimiko-san will show you."

The view on the television changed, now showing a different area. A young black-haired woman was at the scene. "Thanks, Nanashi-san. Here at Ise Shrine early this morning, seventeen people were found unconscious for unknown reasons, six of them being students of the local middle school. When they were admitted into the hospital, it was found that they were apparently in comas, but how this occurred is a mystery."

Aiko looked worried. "The Kusanagi and the Kagami were in those shrines. I know this because Arya remembered seeing those sacred treasures when she visited those shrines." Being the reincarnation of the sorceress Arya Hitoraumi, she could access her memories. "And those two objects are very powerful, as is the Yasakani no Magatama. If in the wrong hands, the sword and the mirror would prove to be very, very dangerous."

"What if," Tomoyo was almost afraid to say the words they all were thinking, "what if this is the beginning of the disaster that Aiko-chan foresaw?"

**Author's Notes: Oh dear, that wouldn't be good now would it, Tomoyo-chan? I hope Sakura-chan and the others are ready for this... but maybe Syaoran's dream is a bad omen? Could it be? Do you really think I'm going to tell you before the time comes? -laughs- If you said that I won't, you're right! And so, while we wait for me to stop being lazy and finish up the second Phase... cookie, anyone? -holds out tray of freshly baked cookies- STAY TUNED!!**


	3. A Little Predicament

Disclaimer: Plot is mine. CCS and all its characters belong to CLAMP

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Phase II: A Little Predicament

"I'm not entirely sure if it is," Aiko admitted, "but there is a chance that it could be. I told you already that things weren't too clear in my vision, but I could see the world was in ruins, devastated."

"We should be careful. Even if it isn't, we must not take the chance that it is," Eriol said firmly, a serious look on his face. His Cheshire Cat grin had faded after seeing that news report. "Even though we are stronger now, it might not be enough."

Koryu held up a hand, a signal to wait. "Don't be so hasty, we might still have enough time. Come on, let's go to my place then; if we're lucky we might find Tsukito and Nakuru-san there and they can help us make plans." About two years ago the two Moon Guardians were married, and it was quite the occasion. At Koryu's estate there was a second, private wedding for Tsukito and Nakuru to marry in their true forms, as Lunarus and Ruby Moon. They were now living together in a small apartment near where Syaoran's apartment was. Not too surprisingly, Eriol's apartment was also near there to Syaoran's annoyance. (A/N: You didn't expect him to stay at the Daidouji estate for three years, did you?)

"That sounds like a good idea, doesn't it?" Sakura asked. "Tomoyo-chan, will your mother be home?"

The Daidouji heiress shook her head. "Iie, she said she'd be working late today. That means I can go with you!"

Syaoran sighed. "I hate to admit it, but it is the best idea we have so far. Let's go now."

As they walked, they talked about things that wouldn't seem too out of place for teenagers to be chatting about: current events (other than the destruction of the two shrines), music, events at school and all that other good stuff. When they began talking about where they would like to travel though, it somehow became a discussion about haunted houses. They had Eriol to thank for that.

"B-But that doesn't sound like a nice place! That's scary!" Sakura cried. Syaoran had his arms wrapped around her in a comforting manner, both amused by this and annoyed at the navy-haired mage at the same time. Sakura still hadn't quite gotten over her fear of ghosts.

"The Tower of London is not so bad," Eriol commented, "even though it is haunted by countless ghosts."

"He is right. Remember, I use to live in England too and I also visited the Tower of London," Koryu added. "I believe that is the first time I transformed a Wraith Card into a Harbinger Card."

"You've never talked about your past before," Tomoyo noted, walking hand in hand with Eriol, their fingers delicately intertwined.

"Please tell us about it!" Sakura said eagerly. "It would be better than hearing about ghosts…"

Koryu and Aiko exchanged looks that clearly said, "This will obviously have ghosts in it too." But he began to tell his story anyways.

"I believe I was nine years old at the time…"

0-o-0-o-0-o-0

"_Wow, this place is huge!" a young man exclaimed, his amethyst eyes gleaming as he took in the view. He ran a hand through his slicked-back charcoal hair, gazing in admiration at the giant building._

"_Well, it _is_ the Tower of London," a young boy with dark green unruly hair laughed. His chocolate eyes took in every detail he could of the Tower. "And, if you believe it, this place is apparently haunted."_

"_When we had come here with Arya-sama, there were several ghosts haunting the vicinity," a small voice growled from the boy's backpack. It didn't sound like a very menacing voice; instead it was rather cute. "Are you afraid of ghosts, Koryu?"_

"_Of course not! That's a silly notion!" Koryu exclaimed. "I am not afraid of stupid specters!"_

_Listening in to their conversation was a young girl with sapphire eyes and wavy dark brown hair tied into a long braid going down her back smiled to herself. _He isn't, huh? Well, after this he'll be singing a different tune_, she thought to herself. She crept off to the White Tower, one of several structures that make of the Tower of London._

_She glanced at all the displays of items from the Royal Armouries, grinning. "Oh, Aiko-chan, this must be the best idea you've ever had," she muttered to herself. "Test number one, let's see if he has what it takes." Bringing out her Metal Element Dagger, she used it to manipulate the armor in the room, making them do her biding. "I hope he can pass this test…"_

_Koryu paused, sensing a powerful yet familiar presence. "Is that…"_

"_It's Arya-sama!" Tsukito hissed, looking around. "But… she died a long time ago!"_

_Koryu remembered when he had a vision of Arya appearing before him, soon after he had defeated Lunarus and was recognized as the master of the Wraith Cards. The final judgment had taken place atop the Big Ben clock tower. He also recognized the sorceress's presence. "Let's go! Come on!"_

"_Wait up!" Tsukito called, running after his new Master. Inwardly he sighed. Koryu was definitely no Arya; their differences lay in many things, including gender, magical power, wisdom, height, and more. But he did have a certain confident air about him._

_It didn't take long for them to reach the White Tower, where they were confronted by suits of armor armed with various weapons. Tsukito reacted instinctively, transforming in a cocoon of silver flames into his true form, Lunarus, with Solarus following suit and transforming into his true form as well._

_Aiko, hiding in the shadows of the ceiling, frowned. "I hate to do this, but their interference won't help at all. Arya wants to help the new Cardmaster along, but if they interfere, it will only do bad…" Using the Earth Element Dagger, she encased the two Guardians in thick walls of stone. She kept a careful eye on them, knowing they would break out eventually._

_Koryu meanwhile was shocked. But it was soon replaced by determination, and he pulled out the Moon Key. "Alright, time to go to work! Key which hides the power of the Earth, reveal your true form before me! I, Koryu, command you under our contract! Release!" But when nothing happened, he grew worried._

"_What? Grrrr… Release!"_

_Still, nothing happened._

"_Come on! Release! Release! RELEASE!" The whole time, he grew even more worried as the suits of armor got closer and closer to him. The Cardmaster closed his eyes, concentrating. _Come on, I need you to activate! It's no good if you won't release! Please, tell me what I'm doing wrong!_ A burst of light, and he realized what he'd been doing wrong._

"_That's it, isn't it? A new wand means a new incantation. Okay, then!"_

_He was surrounded by the light of his own magic as he chanted, "Key which hides the power of… the power of the planets, reveal your true form before me! I, Koryu, command you under our contract! Release!"_

_To put it simply, it worked. Koryu was awed by the sight of his new Moon Staff, which was once the Terra Wand. It had a long black handle, which was topped by a crescent moon supported by a pair of dragon wings. "Now to stop these guys. Let's see… Ah! BLADE!"_

_But like with the Moon Key, nothing happened. "What? Do I need another incantation or something?" Koryu smacked his forehead with his palm. "Of course! Geez… and they say I'm smart?!" He knew what he had to do, the words coming to him from some unknown magical source._

"_Card created by Arya, abandon thy old form and reincarnate! In the name of Koryu, your new master!"_

_From a card with a black backing and a seal with the symbol for the Earth, it was now a card with a dark blue backing, with a seal marked with the nine planet symbols. "BLADE!"_

_This time, his Staff transformed. Wit hall the skills of a master swordsman he expertly cut through his opponents, soon surrounded by the pieces of empty suits of armor. The stone walls containing his Guardians crumbled and they were surprised to see a triumphant-looking Koryu holding what was obviously not the Earth Wand._

"_What happened?"_

"_Not sure," Koryu admitted. "But I just learned a couple new spells."_

_His Guardians returned to their disguise forms, and when Solarus was going back into Koryu's backpack he received a surprise. "Master, look! Look at the book!"_

"_Huh?" Koryu set down his bag, removing the book that held the Wraith Cards. It, too, had changed. Instead of THE WRAITH being the title on its cover, it had changed to THE HARBINGER. The cover was also the same color as the back of the transformed BLADE Card._

_The Cardmaster grinned as he thought. "So I'm the 'Harbinger' am I? That has a nice ring to it. Koryu, Master of the Harbinger Cards!"_

_From her hiding spot, Aiko smiled. "He's passed the first trial. I'm glad. So glad…"_

0-o-0-o-0-o-0

There was silence when Koryu and Aiko had finished telling their story, then Sakura exclaimed, "Wow! Sugoi! I had that same problem after I passed the final judgment!"

"Hmm, it seems that both Koryu-san and Aiko-san have changed quite a bit since then," Eriol noted. The Master of the Harbinger Cards nodded.

"Yeah. Aiko was a bit more serious back then, and I was more carefree. That kind of changed after I created the DRAIN Card to assist me in getting stronger. When I first saw the armors, I thought they were possessed by ghosts! Oh, we're here!"

Pushing open the gates, Koryu led the way to the front doors, smiling. "Okay, here we are." Koryu was about to insert his key and open the doors when they opened. "Wait… huh?"

"Welcome back, Koryu-sama."

"Eh?! S-Setoro, what are you doing here? Weren't you with 'tou-sama and 'kaa-sama?"

"Oh, but they have come back from their business trip, Koryu-sama. They apologize for being away for so long. But come in, they wish to talk to you. They have news that will most likely be very pleasing to you! Your friends may come in as well. They can wait for when you parents are done talking to you."

"O-Okay," Koryu said hesitatingly, giving Sakura, Syaoran, and the others an apologetic glance before heading in. Sakura and the others were led to Koryu's bedroom, amazed at seeing the servants that worked for Koryu's mother and father.

They were met by Nakuru and Tsukito in Koryu's room, and while they were there, Tomoyo brought up a question for Tsukito. "What are Koryu-kun's parents like?"

"Oh, they're nice enough. But I think his mother is a bit too…"

0-o-0-o-0-o-0

"Koryu! I am so sorry we were away so long! I missed you so much!"

"'K-Kaa-sama, I can't… breathe…" In the living room, poor Koryu was being hugged to death by his mother, an elegant woman who had silky hazelnut-brown hair, and kind chocolate eyes. His father, a handsome man with neat dark-green hair and amber eyes laughed.

"Kuryuko, don't you think you should let him go him? Our son is suffocating from your well-meant but painful greeting."

"Oh! I am sorry, my dear Koryu!" She looked at her husband with a smile. "Thank you for warning me, Bakuryu."

"Anytime, my love."

"S-So, 'tou-sama, 'kaa-sama, what brings you back from your trip? Other than because you miss me, that is," he hastily added. Kuryuko smiled at her son.

"I nearly forgot, we have wonderful news! Koryu, you are engaged!"

To Koryu, this was not wonderful. It was shocking and probably the worst moment of his life. "WHAT?! To who?!"

"I knew you'd be pleased," Bakuryu said cheerfully, misinterpreting the tone of Koryu's voice. "And your fiancé is none other than the daughter of the owner of a very rich and well-known corporation! Her name is Daidouji Tomoyo! Daidouji Sonomi-san agreed to it, of course!"

That was another shock. First, he found out he was engaged to some girl he didn't know, only to find out it was a girl who was his friend and already in love with someone else! Not to mention he was already in love with Aiko. _Now_ it was the worst moment of his life. Or at least the worst moment so far.

0-o-0-o-0-o-0

"By the way Tomoyo-chan, when will you tell your mother that you are going out with Eriol-kun? It's already been three years!"

"My dear Tomoyo feels that we should wait until the right moment, Sakura-san."

"So, that would be in about… NEVER?!"

"No, Li-kun. I just don't want okaa-sama to overreact…"

**Author's Notes: Am I cruel or what? First they have to deal with the problem of an oncoming catastrophe, and now Koryu-kun and Tomoyo-chan have to find some way to break their engagement so that they be able to marry the ones they truly love! (If you've forgotten... EriolxTomoyo, KoryuxAiko) When they're older, of course. Heheheheheheh, but doing tha twill not be easy. I guarantee it! Oh and by the way... how did you like the little peek into Koryu's past? -breakdances- STAY TUUUUUUNNNNNED!!**


	4. Pair of Problems

Disclaimer: No, I don't own CCS! If I did, then why am I writing a sequel to my other FANFICTION?!

* * *

Phase III: Pair of Problems

"Now go on, we don't want to keep your friends waiting, hm?" Koryu's father said, giving his son a light push towards the hallway. Koryu's mind seemed elsewhere as he left, and his mother smiled.

"Oh, he seems so excited! I'm glad we did this for him. He's always had no friends for as long as I can remember…"

What Koryu really felt was the opposite of what Kuryuko thought he felt. Once he was sure his parents were out of earshot and he was near his bedroom, he turned to face the wall and groaned, "My life is over…"

_Thud._

"My life is over…"

_Thud._

"My life is over…"

_Thud._

After he banged his head on the wall about five more times the others came out to see what was going on. There's no need to say how worried Aiko was when she saw her love hurting himself like that. "Ieeeeh! Koryu, stop that!" She pulled him away from the wall, bringing out a handkerchief to wipe away the blood leaking from a small wound on his forehead.

"Would you kindly explain to us why you were abusing the wall in such a manner?" Eriol politely inquired. Koryu gave him a miserable look, and sighed.

"If you must know, it seems I am engaged now."

There was stunned silence… and then…

"WHAT?!" everyone shouted at the same time, obviously shocked by the news. Aiko was the most shocked of all of them.

"Blame my parents… and you won't believe who my fiancé is…"

"Don't worry, we'll help you out," Tomoyo said, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. But the Master of the Harbinger Cards sighed again.

"You don't quite understand the situation yet… you see, my fiancé is a girl who is the daughter of the owner of a well-known corporation, kind, beautiful, and her first name begins with the letter 'T'…"

Sakura gasped. "Hoeeeee?! Do you mean--?!"

Syaoran frowned. "So your parents engaged you to Tomoyo-san?"

Koryu nodded glumly, and would have struck the wall with his skull once more if Aiko didn't pull him away from it. "Stop it, Koryu! Look, all we have to do is find some way to convince your parents, and Tomoyo-chan's mom, to cancel the engagement right?"

"I wish it were that simple," Tsukito said, feeling sorry for both Tomoyo and Koryu. If they were forced to marry each other they would not be able to marry the ones they truly love. "But it is hard to change their minds once they've decided on something. Plus they probably have good reasons for it, which makes it even harder."

"Ohhhh, it would be nice to see Eriol-kun and Tomoyo-chan get married," Nakuru said. "Same for Koryu-kun and Aiko-chan. There must be something we can do!"

Tomoyo seemed lost in thought, trying to think of a solution to their problem. Koryu frowned. "I don't mean any offense to Tomoyo-san or anything, but I don't want to marry her. The only one I want to spend the rest of my life with is Aiko!"

"I would rather marry Eriol," Tomoyo said, "but unless we can find a way out of this, we don't have any choice."

Another voice spoke up, a cute little growly voice of a certain little Sun Guardian. Solarus came out from where he had been hiding under Koryu's bed, floating over to where they were. "Before that, we should handle the problem of the coming catastrophe first, don't you think?"

Even if they were rather reluctant about it, everyone agreed with the dragon-winged wolf cub. It would be much easier taking care of the bigger problem at hand before taking the time to deal with their other predicament. The only question was, how much time did they have before the catastrophe came?

0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0

"It's just no fun anymore, is it?"

"We have yet to find an opponent who can match our newfound power." A French woman with long, exquisite blonde hair glanced down at her defeated foes, some of them torn to bloody shreds, the rest in a coma-like state. She peered into the sacred mirror that she had stolen from the Ise Shrine, her green catlike eyes shining with hunger. "Time to eat."

From within the mirror floated a white glowing sphere, which the woman promptly popped into her mouth and swallowed. Her partner, a Korean man with shoulder-length black hair, and yellow snakelike eyes frowned. "Hey, don't keep them all for yourself. Share some of those souls with me."

"I am not quite that selfish, Kwan." Willingly she forced three more white orbs float out of the mirror before handing them over to the man. He smiled as he greedily swallowed them whole, not even bothering to chew.

"Wielding the sacred sword Kusanagi takes a lot of energy. How are you holding up with the Yata no Kagami, Raine?"

"It is working perfectly," she purred, eyes glowing. "_Très bien en effet_! But this world disgusts me. You were right in your idea to purge Earth of all humanity and remake it."

"But there will be those who stand in our way," Kwan said, his snakelike eyes glowing eerily in the falling of night. "_Banghaehaneun saramdeureun pagoedoel geosida_!"

_Those who interfere shall be destroyed!_

**Author's Notes: I'm sorry this is such a short chapter! I was feeling tired and sleepy while writing it, so it didn't come out as good as usual. My wonderful imagination should be recharged when Monday comes, since all I need is a LOT of rest. Waking up early for high school is just killing me. Well, anyways, now we know the names of the vicious thieves. And why the hell are they eating souls? I ain't tellin' yet, that's fer sure! But I guess it's related to how Koryu was back in "The Harbinger Cards." It's only a guess. Hey, even if I'm the author, my own creations can surprise me! And I will bring SxS/ExT fluff later... too tired right now... oh, one more thing... have you guys seen the chibi drawing of Aiko-chan that I made? The link to the pic is on my profile. Go check it out and tell me what you think of it. -falls asleep- Stay... tuned... Zzzzzzz...**


	5. Maneuvers

Disclaimer: CARDCAPTOR SAKURA ISNT MINE STOP. UNLESS YOU WANT A LOT OF LINT DONT SUE ME STOP.

* * *

Phase IV: Maneuvers

"WHAAAAAT?! No way! How can that twerp be engaged to Tomoyo?!"

"It's true!" Sakura insisted, removing her hands from her ears once Kero was done shouting his surprise to the entire world. "And keep it down, Kero-chan; otou-san is still sleeping."

Surprisingly enough, the Cardmistress actually woke up early, mostly because of her anxiety about Tomoyo and Koryu's arranged marriage and a feeling that something extremely terrible was about to happen. It was a weekend, and while she was changing out of her pajamas Sakura thought about the plans they had made the previous day.

0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0

"_Even if nothing will happen anytime soon, we know there is definitely a catastrophe coming. And it's better to not take any chances." Koryu looked back at his friends, thinking about the surprising changes that had taken place within him. Where he once relied on doing whatever it took to become more power, valuing himself over others, he now saw his friends, especially Aiko, the love of his life, as the most precious things in his life. He knew that that was a clichéd and overused line, but that's how he felt._

_Eriol nodded, agreeing with Koryu's statement. "Indeed. That is a risk we must not take."_

"_So what do you propose we do then, Ametori-san?" Syaoran asked, frowning. "And remember the news? Hanenendo-san had said that the items stolen were extremely powerful. We've gotten stronger over the past three years, but are we strong enough?"_

"_Are you suggesting that we train, my cute little descendant?" the reincarnation of Clow Reed asked, a gleam in his eyes. The young Chinese warrior glared at him._

"_What have I told you about calling me that, Hiiragizawa?!"_

"_Training sounds like a good idea," Tomoyo commented, watching Tsukito and Koryu both restraining Syaoran as he attempted to get his hands on a calmly grinning Eriol. Then she gave her biggest and brightest smile. "And I'll record everything!"_

"_You carry that thing with you everywhere, Tomoyo-chan!" Nakuru chirped, pointing at the video camera in her hands. "How many videos do you have now?"_

"_I have a great number of them!" she replied happily. "I have videos of Sakura-chan's cardcaptoring days, videos of her pre-cardcaptoring days, videos of her with Syaoran, videos of—"_

"_Most of your videos seem to be about the Mistress of the Sakura Cards," Tsukito stated drily. He and the Master of the Harbinger Cards released Syaoran, who still seemed annoyed but not to the point where he would throttle Eriol. "So, I suppose it's a plan then?"_

_Sakura nodded, making sure her arm was linked with Syaoran's. That was a gentler way of keeping him from attacking the navy-haired mage. "But we should find a place to train where there won't be anyone else around."_

"_Aw, but I was hoping to give CHRONO and SLUMBER a little workout!"_

_A vein pulsed in Aiko's temple as she pulled on her boyfriend's ear. "No, Koryu. Sakura-chan's plan is much better. I'm sure we'll find somewhere, but how about we meet at… um…"_

"_Penguin Park sound good?" Eriol put in, smiling. Koryu grimaced._

"_Okay… tomorrow at eight o' clock then. Anyone who disagrees, say nothing."_

_It took everyone a moment to realize Koryu's joke. "Not funny!"_

"_Koryu-kun!"_

"_Geez!"_

"_Guess we all agree, then," he grinned, sweatdropping anime-style as he raised his hands defensively at his annoyed friends._

0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0

So, basically, she had a third reason for getting up early. But they still had to come up with a place to train. Quiet, and with no one around to see them. Figuring that it'd be easier to solve the problem with her friends, Sakura left her room, heading down the stairs into he kitchen. Not too surprisingly, Kero followed.

"Hmmm, I'd like a BIIIG yummy doughnut!" he exclaimed, spinning in circles. "With chocolate and sugary glaze and tasty little sprinkles…"

The Cardmistress frowned and shook her head. "No, Kero-chan! No doughnuts for breakfast!"

"Awww, that's no fun…"

Once breakfast was done and eaten, Kero silenced by a full belly, Sakura checked her watch. That silver watch she had received as a birthday gift from Syaoran four years ago was still her favorite. She still had her old one, but she didn't use it much anymore. There was still about one hour and a half until eight o' clock.

To her surprise, someone knocked at the door. "What are you waiting for? Go answer it!" Kero urged. Nodding, the Cardmistress got up from the table, making her way to the front entrance. "Who is it?"

"It's me, Sakura!"

"Syaoran!" She pulled open the door, smiling. "What are you doing here so early in the morning?"

"I was checking to see if you had woken up yet," he replied, smiling back. "And it seems you did. I'm surprised."

"Mou, Syaoran!"

"Oh, so it's the Chinese kid?" Kero floated over to Sakura and Syaoran, seating himself on the Cardmistress's shoulder. He was, unsurprisingly, munching on a cookie. Syaoran guessed that the little Sun Guardian had stashes of sweets hidden all over the house. Sakura in the meantime was surprised at how quickly Kero's appetite had returned.

"Kero-chan, don't call Syaoran a kid!"

"Well, compared to me, he certainly is one!"

Syaoran sighed, and before Sakura could say anything in reply to Kero's statement he turned her to face him and planted his lips firmly on hers. The kiss lasted for a good, long time, until they finally had to pull apart. Silently, the young Chinese warrior cursed their need for oxygen.

Sakura was in a happy daze, feeling "floaty" after that kiss. "Hanyaaan…"

"C'mon, let's go." Taking her hand in his own, he led the Cardmistress to the designated meeting spot, amused by the fact that she was still in a daze. After all, a kiss is not something one would expect so suddenly, even if it was from the person you loved the most. Syaoran didn't bother to hurry; there was plenty of time. Kero, in the meanwhile, sat in Sakura's pocket like an innocent plush toy, the same pocket that contained the Sakura Cards.

He actually took longer than he had thought. It was about seven fifty-seven when they arrived at Penguin Park, patiently waiting for their friends. At seven fifty-eight, Eriol and Tomoyo arrived, hand in hand, their fingers intertwined. "Good morning, Sakura-chan, Li-kun!"

"Hello Sakura-san and my kawaii descendant."

"Hiiragizawa!"

One minute later, Tsukito and Nakuru arrived just in time. Koryu's Moon Guardian deftly caught Syaoran in mid-air; the young Chinese warrior had leapt at Eriol with a painful punishment in store for the mage. Nakuru made sure Syaoran wouldn't be attacking her Master anytime soon by tying him up with some rope.

"Do you always carry rope with you?" Tsukito asked, grinning. She smiled and nodded in reply.

"Yup! Suppie-chan is always trying to escape whenever it's feeding time, so I need rope to hold him still!"

From Eriol's jacket pocket a little black cat poked his head out, frowning at Nakuru. "My name is Spinel, not 'Suppie.' I have told you that countless times already."

"I guess we're the only ones on time, then?" Koryu was grinning as he and Aiko approached, the latter carrying what looked like a wolf cub plush toy with little dragon wings; Sakura and the others knew that the "plush toy" was actually Solarus the Sun Guardian.

"What do you mean?" Syaoran growled, trying to free himself from the ropes that bound him. "We all arrived early!"

"That's exactly what Koryu meant," Aiko replied softly, smiling. "We were the only ones who arrived at eight o' clock."

"Hmm, I'll have to add that to my list of confusing jokes later," Eriol commented, grinning. "In the meantime, now that we are all here, let's try to come up with some ideas."

Tomoyo nodded, completely agreeing with him. From her purse she took out a very familiar item: her video camera. "I'm sure we can all come up with something very soon!"

"That is great and all, but first… will someone untie me?!"

0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0

The Li estate, in Hong Kong, China, is quite a grand mansion. Calm and peaceful (usually), it appears to be built in classic Western style. Here lived Syaoran's mother, Li Yelan, his elder sisters Li Fuutie, Shiefa, Fanran, and Feimei, his cousin, Li Meiling, as well as his old butler Wei Wang, plus his other relatives (A/N: I'm pretty sure Syaoran has other relatives living there, even if we haven't met them). Except maybe with the exception of Meiling and Wei they were magically skilled (A/N: I'm basing upon the fact that since Syaoran has magic, his sisters should also).

But that didn't prepare them for when they were attacked.

Four of the Li rushed at the odd Korean man who had dared to attack and slay a member of their clan, wanting vengeance. The stranger simply smiled, with his large sword in hand, and slashed the air. The attacking Li were met by blades of wind, and as a result were torn to bloody shreds.

"So these are members of the prestigious Li clan? Pathetic." Effortlessly he cut down several more who tried to stop him, blowing apart the entrance with stones. "This is not much of a challenge."

From behind, a young man, also one of the Li clan, charged at the attacker with his _jian_ sword raised high over his head. A burst of light robbed him of that opportunity, and he collapsed. A French woman walked in, a mirror eight hands in width in her hands, and she gave her partner a smirk. "Kwan, you must be more careful," she said in English.

The Korean man simply muttered some swear words in Korean about being ambushed, and continued on.

On the upper floor, a beautiful woman withdrew a fan, while around her Syaoran's four sisters and Meiling readied to fight. But Yelan had different plans for them. "Fuutie, Fanran, Feimei, Shiefa, Meiling, leave. Now."

"But--!"

"No. He is too powerful for you to take on, Fanran, too powerful for you all. Take the other survivors of the attack and flee. Leave Hong Kong, if you must."

Knowing her mother would not change her mind, Fanran simply nodded. "Come on, girls, let's go!" Meiling was a little more hesitant.

"But what will happen to you?"

"I will fight him." Yelan paused for a moment as she glanced at Meiling, now a young woman, but still a skilled martial artist. "However, I have a special request for you, Meiling."

"Hai, Yelan-sama?"

"I wish for you to go to Japan and inform Syaoran of this attack. Tell him… disaster approaches."

"I will," Meiling said, and she definitely would. "Good luck, Yelan-sama." She left quickly, following the same route Syaoran's sisters took. It was a different route than the one from which Kwan and Raine came.

"So you are the head of the Li clan? Humph, I hope you are more of a challenge than those other small fry."

Yelan could sense the powerful magic emanating from her two foes, as well as the items they carried. "You do not carry an ordinary sword and mirror; where did you receive them?"

"So you have not heard?" the French woman purred in heavily accented Chinese. "We took these sacred objects from a couple of shrines back in Japan. With them, none can stand up to us."

The Korean man spoke in a slightly accented but perfect Chinese, "We shall complete our goals!" A stream of fire bearing the likeness of a serpent with open jaws burst forth from his sword. Yelan, her fan glowing with her power, easily parted the flames. Kwan's eyes narrowed. "You are more powerful than you seem. This shall be an enjoyable fight; once you lose, we shall use your power to cleanse the earth and remake it!"

"By 'cleanse', I suppose you mean you will destroy everything, simply to further your own goals?" She sent Kwan's blades of wind back at him with a sweeping motion of her fan; he raised a wall of earth to protect himself.

"Humans have been polluting the earth for years, destroying nature, everything! We are only helping them along in their self-destruction!" he roared. "The city of Hong Kong is only one of our many targets! This city, so polluted, shall be leveled and brought to the ground! And so will all other cities like it!"

Yelan was taken by surprise when a combined attack of blinding light, water, and freezing winds struck her. She had lowered her guard, fooled into believing he could only use one element at a time. With all but her head frozen solid, the head of the Li clan was rendered immobile. "You… with your control over Light, Fire, Wind, Water and Earth, are you a Blademaster?"

"Indeed. Of course you would know about the many magical styles," Kwan said. "The sacred sword Kusanagi no Tsurugi is powerful in the hands of an expert Blademaster, as it wields control over the Elements of Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Metal, Lightning, Light, and Darkness. And as long as I wield it, there are none who can stop me!"

"There is where you are wrong. There is one who can stop you."

"Oh? Who would it happen to be?" the French woman said, struggling a little with her Chinese. "I shall give you time before I drain you of your power."

"You do not know? Then it will be that ignorance that shall lead to your doom."

"I grow tired of this." Kwan switched to English as he said, "Raine, use your new spell."

"With pleasure," she purred. "_Shinjitsu wo Roshutsu Suru Raito_!" A flash of light, and Yelan was unable to keep the truth spilling from her lips. But she did not have to reveal the whole truth. Bringing the remainder of her power forth, she only told them part of the truth.

"The Mistress of the Clow Cards, who has most likely grown more powerful since the last time I had seen her. Against her, you will fall."

"I appreciate the warning," Kwan said dismissively, then signaled Raine. The French woman knew what she had to do.

"_Suijaku Saseta_ _Raito_!" A beam of light streamed from the Yata no Kagami, landing upon Yelan. The woman could feel her strength leave her body as it was absorbed by the mirror.

Leaving the mansion behind them, they discussed their next plans. "We should take out the Mistress of the Clow Cards before she can interfere," Raine said, noting how the sacred mirror seemed a little heavier with all the power it had taken from Li Yelan. "I have heard of Clow Reed; the inheritor of his creations would be a powerful opponent."

"Indeed," Kwan replied, calm. "But not powerful enough to stop us." He waved his hand dismissively. "The only thing that can stop us is the Yasakani no Magatama, as it can seal away the power of the mirror and the sword. However the chances of her getting hold of it are very slim; it resides in the Tokyo Imperial Palace after all. And after our attacks, it will most likely be under heavy guard. So no need to worry."

"Well then, where is our next target?"

"A city crowded with people, filled with pollution. We have no need to fear going there, as no one can stop us. It is Tokyo, Japan. We shall head there after we rest."

"What if the Mistress of the Clow Cards is there?"

"I highly doubt it. That would be too much of a coincidence if she were."

Raine looked convinced now. "Very well. _Yusou no Raito_!"

They disappeared in a bright flash of light, not knowing that a certain teenage Chinese girl was making her way to the airport. She knew she was to go to Tomoeda, Japan, to warn Syaoran about the attackers. But another thought dominated her mind: revenge. She wanted revenge against the ones who had killed those of her clan. And she would do what she could to make sure that they paid dearly for every drop of Li blood they had spilled.

**Author's Notes: Okay, things just got even worse. At least some of the Li clan survived that attack. And don't you agree that it's about time I made Meiling-chan a part of my fanfic? Well, I hope things will turn out well. Or else the Earth is gonna become hell. -frowns- Stay tuned. Oh, and one question: Where do you guys think Sakura, Syaoran, Eriol, Koryu, Aiko, Kero, Nakuru, Suppie, and Tsukito should train? You already know the requirements; and please let me know your ideas in your reviews. I myself am in need of some. Unless I come up with an idea before you guys review... -sighs- Stay tuned... wait, I already said that, didn't I?**

Translation Notes

_Shinjitsu wo Roshutsu Suru Raito_: Truth Exposing Light

_Suijaku Saseta_ _Raito_: Enfeebling Light

_Yusou no Raito_: Light of Transporting


	6. Training?

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING!! Except for my OCs and the plot.

* * *

Phase V: Training?

"So… anyone have any ideas yet?"

"We'll let you know when we finally see a good spot, Ametori."

"Still, Li-san, you'd think we'd have found someplace by now…"

The entire group was now wandering around Tomoeda, hoping to find a suitable place to train without worrying about being seen. Personally, Koryu believed that the Tsukimine Shrine might have been a good place. However, he realized that it would have brought back memories for a certain mage that would then make the Cardmaster feel extremely guilty; so he stayed silent. He knew Eriol still hadn't forgotten Kaho; and the guilt at needlessly having killed many people for their magical power still ate away at Koryu's conscience. But during those periods when the guilt was threatening to overwhelm him, as least Aiko was there to comfort him.

Tomoyo put a finger on her chin and thought silently for a moment. "Well, I don't think we'll find a place that meets our needs if we continue to wander around the busier areas."

Tsukito grinned. "I think I might know of a place. The only question is if it's still there… it might have been torn down…"

Koryu glared at his Moon Guardian, and there was annoyance evident in his voice as he said, "You only tell us about that now?!"

"Well, I wasn't sure. It might be gone already, for all we know."

"But it is a start," Eriol said calmly. "Don't you agree, my dear Tomoyo?"

"Yes, I do. Tsukito-san, would you please show us where it is?"

"C'mon, Tsuki-ki, let's go!" Nakuru chirped, hanging onto her husband's arm. He nodded, grinning, as Aiko gave the couple an incredulous look.

"Is that your nickname, Tsukito?"

"Yes, and only Naku-ku is allowed to use it," Tsukito replied firmly. Now Sakura stared.

"Nakuru-chan, is that--?"

"C'mon, let's go!" Tsukito interrupted before Sakura could finish her question. They followed Tsukito on a confusing path that made it near impossible for them to remember the directions they were taking. Syaoran wondered briefly if he was confusing them on purpose. And since it was Tsukito, he believed that the Moon Guardian definitely was.

Some time later, they arrived. Eriol looked mildly surprised by where they had ended up. "This is certainly conveniently convenient for our purposes isn't it?"

"Yes it is," Koryu agreed. "What a coincidental coincidence."

"Okay, now _both_ of you are annoying the hell out of me," Syaoran growled. Sakura made sure she was firmly holding on to her boyfriend's arm, while Aiko and Tomoyo made Eriol and Koryu agree to stop annoying Syaoran just for the heck of it… at least until tomorrow.

They were standing in front of a big, rusty old abandoned warehouse. It seemed to have been used to store possibly hundreds or thousands of boxes (or crates). Koryu, after glancing at a faded label lying on the ground, confirmed that the warehouse use to belong to a company that his parent's company had forced into bankruptcy… with a little assistance from Daidouji Toys Co.

Upon entering, it had more than enough spade for their training… and this brought ideas to Koryu's scheming mind. "I have a proposition," he said, grinning. Syaoran absolutely did not like the looks of that grin. "Let's start off by using a classic piece of work… the GENERATE Card."

"Didn't you use that card the most out of all the times you attacked us, Koryu-kun?" Sakura asked; the Harbinger shook his head.

"No, but it was definitely the most troublesome, wasn't it?"

"Can we begin now?" Solarus asked. Suppie and Kero agreed with the wolf cub, and Tomoyo brought out her video camera.

"I'll make sure to catch everything on tape!"

"Would we have it any other way, my dear Tomoyo?" Eriol asked her, smiling gently. She returned his smile, giving him a small kiss before hurrying off a good distance away. It would not do well for her to get hurt during their training.

"Ready… set… GO!"

"Key which hides the power of the stars, reveal your true form before me! I, Sakura, command you under our contract! Release!"

"The key which hides the forces of darkness, reveal your true form to me. I, Eriol, command you under our contract. Release!"

"O key which hides the powers of the planets, show your true form before me! I, the Harbinger, command you under our contract! Release!"

The items which they used to perform their most effective magic materialized in their hands, while Syaoran summoned his _jian_ sword from the pendants that he always had on him. Aiko, in the meantime, removed her bracelet to reveal that it really was made up of her eight Elemental Daggers, except made smaller when stored as a bracelet. All their Guardians reverted to their true forms, in different ways, except for Yue of course, since Yukito was in the United States with Toya.

"GENERATE!" Koryu called out, activating his card. "Now what should I write? Oh, I know!"

He began writing furiously, and everyone grew a little worried about what he was planning. There was a strangely excited gleam in the Harbinger's eyes as he wrote down his ideas for his creation into GENERATE. And before they knew it, it had appeared right in front of them.

To say that it was big would be an understatement. To say that it was _monstrously gigantic_ would more accurately describe its size. The creature was so tall its head nearly touched the ceiling of the warehouse, and the building wasn't exactly the size of a one-story house. Its body was covered in thick, crimson armor plates, with a double row of sharp spines running down its back. It had four thickly muscled arms, each about the length of two school buses (A/N: Not the short ones, mind you) and ending in a seven-clawed scaly paw.

About thirty percent of the creature's body was a neck as thick as three fully-grown redwood trees put together, same with the tail except that it tapered out into an impossibly sharp barbed end. Small, glaring eyes sat in either side of the head, and a thin blade-like golden horn that curved towards its back sat on its nose. What was strange was that the creature had two jaws; the upper jaw was smaller, with the second one at least twice its size. Its legs were just as thickly muscled as the arms, if not more. Each ended in a four-clawed foot, with the toe claw being the largest and sharpest, like a raptor's. All in all, it was probably Koryu's most stunning creation… and his deadliest.

"Are you crazy, Ametori?!" Syaoran shouted, glaring. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"Well, it will make for a good training exercise won't it?" Koryu said, smiling. Oddly enough, his smile was exactly the same as Eriol's had been when the mage had been "assisting" Sakura in transforming the Clow Cards. "Oh, and you might want to watch out. The second mouth is quite impressive, if I do say so myself."

"I think Koryu-kun's gone a little overboard," Tomoyo commented, tearing away from the camera in her hands to look at the creature with her own two eyes. Then she was looking through her video camera again. "But I'm sure Sakura-chan can handle it!"

"Hoeeee," Sakura said softly, a little afraid. "K-Koryu-kun, did you have to make something so… big?"

"Sorry, couldn't help myself," he admitted. Aiko sighed, and gave her boyfriend an inquiring look. He raised his free hand defensively. "It's true!"

"Well, let's try our best," Eriol said calmly. Lunarus and Ruby Moon agreed heartily to this statement, while Spinel Sun thought about their chances against it. Cerberus sighed, while Solarus was eager to begin fighting.

"Kashin Shourai!" From the ofuda that clung to his sword, Syaoran sent an impressive stream of flames at Koryu's creation. He certainly was stronger than he was three years ago. However, the flames didn't even leave a mark on its armored plating.

"_Tsuino Okami ha Hikisaku_!" Aiko's daggers combined and transformed into a pair of twin sickles attached to each other through a chain. She leapt at the beast, but even she couldn't leave a scratch on the top part of its shin, which was the highest she could reach.

"Well… I think I went a bit more than a _little_ overboard," Koryu said, sweatdropping anime-style. Tomoyo disagreed with the Cardmaster's statement.

"I believe it's more than 'a bit' Koryu-kun..."

**Author's Notes: I agree, Tomoyo-chan. And what was originally going to be a one-chapter training time becomes more challenging than that. I can't believe Koryu's creativeness... wait a minute, he stole that idea from me! Thief! ("You're the one who didn't bother to hide your ideas in safe locations.") Aw, quiet. I can leave my ideas lying on my desk in plain view whenever I want! Hidoi, hidoi, hidoi, Koryu-kun! Oh, and anyone recognize Aiko-chan's spell? She used it in "The Harbinger Cards." -flops like a fish- STAAAAAAAY TUUUUUUNED!! LEEEEEEEROY JEEEEEENKINS!! (Sorry, just had to do that!)**


	7. Training, Continued

Disclaimer: CCS is not mine. I am absolutely sure of it... but the plotty and all OCs are MINE!!

* * *

Phase VI: Training, Continued

"Geez, what does it take to kill this thing?! Raitei Shourai!"

"Hmmm, its armor is quite impervious to our attacks. I must compliment Koryu on his creativeness…"

"You do that, Hiiragizawa-kun. After this thing is killed, _I_ am going to teach my boyfriend a little lesson…"

"Aiko-chan, look out! SHIELD!"

While the others were busy trying to find some way to destroy the monster Koryu created using the GENERATE Card, said Cardmaster was having a little conversation with Tomoyo about what they should do about their unwanted engagement. They both agreed that talking to their parents about it most likely wouldn't work and a scandal was out of the question. They _did_ have reputations to uphold after all.

"So, Tomoyo-san, it seems we are out of options," Koryu commented, while a loud roar was accompanied by the surprised shouts of the Guardians. He laughed. "It might take awhile, but I am quite confident that we will think of something to get us out of this predicament."

Meanwhile, the battle against Koryu's monstrous creation was not going very well. Nothing any of them could do would leave a mark on its armored plating, and it kept trying to flatten them. Lunarus flew up to the creature's head, and flew at it like a javelin, fist first, burning with silver flames. His attack got its attention, but caused no harm.

Its attack was a shock to all but Koryu. Opening its lower second jaw, it released a hail of flaming rocks, some of which were melting. Sakura and Syaoran were both quickly able to defend themselves and their friends from this deadly attack.

"WATERY!"

"Suiryuu Shourai!"

The rocks cooled and slowed upon being struck by jets of water, clattering to the ground harmlessly. Koryu sighed in relief. "That was close. I am glad that Sakura-san and Li-san were able to block the attack in time."

"No thanks to you!" Aiko shouted. "_Shike no Ha_! Storm Blade!" She fused her daggers into one giant double-edged broadsword. It had the width of one and a half feet, and was nearly as long as Aiko was tall, not including the handle. The grip was about two feet in length, and wrapped in a dirty cloth, the hilt curving back at the ends. Aiko hefted the blade, eyeing it as the kanji character for "lightning" appeared on the sword.

"The only place I have seen swords that big were in videogames," Cerberus commented, landing near the Blademaster. "Are you sure you can wield it well?"

"Watch me," Aiko replied, and charged at Koryu's creature. The beast brought a large scaly paw down, attempting to flatten her. But the sorceress leapt right at it, sword first, crackling with staggering amounts of electricity. She was able to pierce the scales on its paw, and electricity coursed through the beast.

"Good job, Aiko-chan!" Sakura shouted; she brought out another card, one that required her to get up close and personal with the creature. "SWORD!"

She had completely forgotten that the blade could cut through pretty much anything. Seated on Cerberus's back, the Cardmistress was able to neatly slice off two of the beast's arms. It roared in agony, gallons blood spurting from its wounds. Koryu quickly used the FADE Card to get rid of the blood. It was very messy.

Before the beast could use its flaming rock attack again, Eriol used his magic to put an improvised muzzle over its mouths. The "muzzle" was made of several steel beams that were conveniently lying against the wall; there was a whole pile of them. The mage simply used his imagination in bending the steel beams into shape.

Lunarus, Solarus, and Cerberus used their flames to heat up the creature. Its scales were soon red-hot, prompting Syaoran, Sakura, and Aiko to use attacks that would quickly cool it down. That would put a dent in its defense.

"FREEZE!"

"Suiryuu Shourai!"

"_Todoroku Fubuki_! Roaring Blizzard!"

They repeated this process twice, heating up and rapidly cooling down its scales, before the armor cracked. Ruby Moon and Spinel Sun were able to break off sections of its scales, revealing the pale flesh underneath. "Now!" Aiko shouted, using her sword to create spears of ice.

All together, they were able to finish off Koryu's creation, though it had been a tiring process. Koryu was grinning as he slipped the GENERATE Card back into the deck. "That was good. Next time you can create something, Sakura-san."

"Oh, Koryu…" Aiko was glaring at her boyfriend, her daggers once more becoming a bracelet on her wrist. There was an annoyed gleam in her sapphire eyes, and the frown on her face signified that she was anything but happy. A shiver ran down Koryu's spine, and he was sweating nervously.

"Uh, y-yes, love?"

"Why did you make something that could, and would, potentially kill us?"

"To train, of course…"

"BUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT THING?!"

Koryu was on all four, bowing so low his forehead was touching the ground in front of his girlfriend. "I'm sorry! I just felt so sure you guys could defeat it if you worked together, I didn't think about the consequences! Please forgive me!"

The others had seen Koryu do this several times before, and each time was because he had somehow annoyed Aiko. For some reason, the Cardmaster was the only one who had the ability to annoy her, as no one else seemed to be able to. It was both amusing and pitiful to see Koryu behaving in such a way.

Aiko sighed, and her annoyance vanished. "Get up, Koryu. I know you were only trying to push us to be better than we currently are."

He was up in a flash, grinning. "But it seemed easy to beat. You guys didn't take too long to defeat it. I should think of something else… and yes, not quite as deadly."

0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0

"I have all that amazing action on tape!" Tomoyo announced proudly as the group left the abandoned warehouse. It was late, the sun setting below the horizon. All the Guardians were in their disguise forms now, though it was true that everyone except perhaps Tomoyo was feeling tired, even Koryu, with his extremely large amount of magical energy. They had trained hard.

"We will have to do this again later," Eriol said, managing to somehow get Tomoyo to take one hand off her video camera and intertwine his fingers with hers. "But not, of course, during the school week."

"Let's get plenty of sleep," Sakura said cheerfully. "We deserve it."

They went off in their separate directions, each preparing to get a good night's rest. But soon, in the near future, an event would happen that not a single one of them would see coming. And though one of them would have a dream tonight, it would not be about the single thing that could, potentially, ruin their chances of stopping the calamity.

**Author's Notes: First off, lame chapter name, I know. Secondly... PLEASE FORGIVE MEEE! I am flooded with school work, and I am SLEEPY and TIRED!! I only now managed to find time to finish the chappie and put it up... I hope and pray to kami-sama that I can get Phase VII up soon. I do not wish to disappoint my faithful readers, even the schmucks who don't review my story! -facepalm- Stay tuned! I beg of you!**


	8. The Regalia of Benevolence

Disclaimer: I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura.... I probably won't ever have enough money to own even a FRACTION of such a wonderful series!

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Phase VII: The Regalia of Benevolence

_A heavy mist surrounded her, thick as pea soup. Sakura looked around, for some reason not at all frightened by being all alone in such an odd place. Instead, she was filled with a warm, comfy feeling, which did not seem to fit in with her surroundings. A faint light shone through the mist, and Sakura peered at it, unable to see what was making the light._

"_Who's there?" she called out, hoping for a reply. Even if she felt comfortable here, it was still rather lonely. For a moment, there was nothing but a heavy silence. Without warning, a voice echoed throughout the mist, seemingly coming from every direction._

"_Sakura," the voice began, gentle as a spring breeze, "you are needed. My siblings are being misused; you must stop them before a terrible fate befalls the Earth."_

"_Who are you?" Sakura asked in wonderment. The voice seemed young, yet incredibly old and wise at the same time. A soft voice that did not seem to be one of a malevolent being, one that was comforting to hear._

"_Come, walk towards the light. When you see me, you shall know. When the time comes, you will know how to use me."_

_Thinking the best thing to do was to listen to the voice, Sakura obeyed. The closer she got to the source of the light, the less mist there was. The light emanated from what looked like a necklace made of comma-shaped rosary beads made of jade. Suddenly, Sakura somehow knew what it was._

"_The sacred beads," she whispered in awe. Though she knew, deep down, that it was a dream, the teenager knew that any dreams she had could be important. And this one seemed especially important. She reached towards it, towards the Yasakani no Magatama, the rosary necklace of benevolence, and her fingers barely brushed it when…_

"SAKURAAA!"

The loud voice of a certain stuffed toy woke her. Sakura rubbed her eyes sleepily, her dream clear and fresh in her mind. It wasn't like normal dreams, where trying to remember it was like trying to hold water in your bare hands. Rather, it was more like a song that was stuck in your head. The last words of the voice echoed in her mind.

"_When the time comes, you will know how to use me."_

But when was the time? And how could she use it if she didn't—suddenly, the Cardmistress realized something. Clutched tightly in her right hand was the necklace, the Yasakani no Magatama.

"You were mumbling in your sleep, so I—!!" Kero floated down, looking at the necklace with the same expression of bewilderment on his face that Sakura felt certain was on her own. "Eh!? Aren't those the Yasakani no Magatama!? How the heck did they get here, aren't they supposed to be at the Imperial Palace?!"

"It spoke to me," Sakura said softly, still amazed by the precious object in her hand. "In my dreams, it spoke to me." Tearing her eyes off the Yasakani, she looked at the clock. It was early; her father would most likely still be in bed. Getting up and gently setting the beads on her desk, Sakura began changing out of her pajamas and into her school uniform.

"What did it say to you?" Kero asked while she was changing. This was an odd occurrence, as the Sun Guardian had never heard of an object talking before. The Sakura and Harbinger Cards didn't count; they were alive in their own sense, though all of them could talk. But perhaps it was to be expected; he could feel the power radiating from the sacred rosary beads.

"It told me 'when the time comes, you'll know how to use me'."

Kero pondered this silently while Sakura tried to find a safe place to put the Yasakani no Magatama. She was about to put it into her desk drawer when Kero said, "No, you'd better keep it close by. Wear it like you would any other necklace."

It would be an understatement to say that Sakura was surprised by this statement. "Hoee?! But Kero-chan…"

"No buts. I have the feeling that the Yasakani no Magatama chose you to be the one to use it; there must be a reason for it. It's safer for you to have it with you at all times."

Sakura knew better than to disagree, and what he said made sense. To her surprise, it was easy to slip on the necklace of jade beads, and it was lighter than she thought. It was almost as if it weren't there. Deciding that if anyone asked, she'd tell them it was a replica (though she obviously had to tell the truth to her other magical friends and Tomoyo), Sakura went to the kitchen to make herself some breakfast. Kero would have followed, but he just sat there on her desk, deep in thought.

The meal was simple, and simple was good. Anything a little more complicated and she might not have been able to cook it. Sakura was her usual cheerful self, not rushing as she ate her eggs. She had enough time, which was unusual for her. Since Fujitaka still hadn't woken up yet (or at least hadn't come downstairs), Sakura left a note for her father saying that she had woken early and left for school before departing.

She actually met Syaoran halfway to school; he had been on his way to pick her up. He just stared in surprise, blinking, before finally finding his voice. "Is that you, Sakura? You actually woke early? Or is it MIRROR?"

"Syaoran!" Sakura huffed, and her boyfriend laughed. He pulled her into a hug before they set off for school together, fingers intertwined.

"So why are you up early? Fall out of bed or something?"

"No, Syaoran!"

"Okay then, tell me," he replied with a grin. Then his eyes fell on the necklace of rosary beads around her neck and Syaoran raised an eyebrow at her. "Sakura?"

She told him everything, about what the beads were and the strange dream. Sakura also warned him not to tell anyone except the obvious exceptions that she was wearing the Yasakani no Magatama. "If anyone asks, it's a replica, okay Syaoran?"

"Okay." After that, he fell silent. At the classroom, before the first bell rang, Koryu had them, Eriol, and Tomoyo gathered into a group.

"I talked about this with Aiko, and she says it's fine, so I was thinking we can train again same time, same place as last."

"We also have to find a way to break off our engagement," Tomoyo whispered to Koryu, and he nodded. No matter how much they had thought so far, no ideas came. Not to mention the fact that they had to do it without dishonoring their parents. That meant a scandal was out of the question.

"I like that idea," Eriol said, pushing his glasses a little higher up his nose before looking at Sakura. His gaze fell on the jade rosary beads, and he gave her a questioning look. "Trying to make a fashion statement, Sakura-san?"

"Actually," Syaoran whispered, just loud enough for their little group to hear, and told them all the details he had gotten from Sakura. Their expressions changed from surprise, to incredulity, and then surprised again. Koryu in particular was shocked.

"Why Sakura-san, though? She isn't exactly the strongest one here. No offense," Koryu added quickly, noticing the dangerous glint in Syaoran's eyes and the sound of knuckles cracking. The guy could get very violent if someone made the wrong remark about the Cardmistress.

"None taken," Sakura said, glancing at Syaoran. She, too, had heard him cracking his knuckles. While she found his protectiveness a wonderful, charming part of him, there were times when he could be _too_ protective. It was when he was being overprotective that he reminded her of Toya.

"I believe I know the answer," Eriol said, his gaze falling on each of them in turn. It lingered a bit longer on Tomoyo before he continued. "Out of all of us, Sakura-san has the purest, most loving heart. Personally, I'm not surprised that the rosary beads of benevolence chose her as its wielder."

"So now Sakura-chan has both the Magatama and the Sakura Cards," Tomoyo commented. They all spent the rest of the school day deep in thought, their other friends noticing this but saying nothing. Aiko in particular was curious, but it wasn't until after school let out that they told her about the rosary beads.

Aiko wasn't at all surprised. "I could sense the power in it, so I knew it wasn't a fake. And the Magatama's choice makes sense. But Sakura-chan," she said, more serious than before, "remember, this a powerful and ancient object. You need to be careful; this is the strongest of the Imperial Regalia, therefore it uses up the most magical energy as well."

"Hoee?!" Sakura was a little unnerved by Aiko's words, as were the others. "Why?"

"Because, from what Arya-san remembers, the Yasakani no Magatama has the power to seal the power of the Kusanagi no Tsurugi and the Yata no Kagami. If the proper spell is used, the Kusanagi and the Kagami would be unable to be used by anyone until the seal is broken."

"But?" Syaoran inquired, knowing there was one in there. IT was obvious by Aiko's troubled expression that there was a drawback, a great one.

"Well, if used, it—" She was interrupted by a cell phone ringing, and Syaoran answered it with an apologetic glance at the brunette sorceress.

"Hello? Meiling, is that really—what?! No, how did… alright then, see you later." He hung up, slipping the cell phone back into his pocket. Syaoran had an expression that seemed a mix of sadness and anger, and Sakura put a comforting hand on his shoulder. He squeezed it gratefully, holding back tears.

"What happened? What did Meiling-chan say?" Tomoyo asked. Syaoran didn't seem to want to answer at first, then he spoke.

"She's on her way here, to Tomoeda, and her plane should land sometime later. She also said," his voice broke for a moment, and it took a few seconds before he continued, "she also said that most of my family was killed… including my mother."

Sakura removed her hand from his shoulder and instead wrapped her arms around her love in a comforting embrace. Koryu's head bowed down, a worried expression on his face. Eriol and Tomoyo were silent, both too stunned and sorrowed to speak. Only Aiko found the strength to ask, "Who did it?"

"A man with a sword, and a woman with a mirror. Both were very powerful…"

"The ones who stole the sacred Regalia," Sakura said in a soft voice, tinged with sadness.

Should they have been near a television, and turned it to the news channel, they would have had even greater sorrow. For the city of Hong Kong was in ruins, many dead, dying, or missing, as well as in mysterious comas. And there were only two humans in the entire world who knew the next city that would be struck: Tokyo, Japan.

**Author's Notes: Whew! Finally! Expect me to put up more chapters more often, my dedicated readers; I have been rejuvenated! Wh00t! And thank you to all who are still reading after so long; I admire your dedication, and I love you all! Even those schmucks who always read but never review! -hugs- Stay tuned~!**


	9. Meiling's Return!

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS in any way, shape or form... although it would be cool! I need WAAAAAAAAAY more money, though....

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Phase VIII: Meiling's Return!

"Good old Tomoeda. It's been so long since my last visit!" A striking girl of sixteen years casually strolled through the nighttime streets of Tomoeda, past the windows of various shops and cafes. Her dark hair was still worn in its classic _odango_ style, her ruby eyes casually taking in her surroundings. Meiling felt that it might have been a happier occasion had it not been for what had happened earlier. It angered her that she'd been unable to do anything to stop the man and woman who had attacked the Li clan, but she still had to deliver Yelan's message to Syaoran. To tell him that disaster approaches.

"I'm staying with Daidouji-san, if I remember correctly," Meiling murmured to herself, remembering a conversation from a moment earlier. She had called soon after she had disembarked from the airplane, and it was agreed that she would stay over at the Daidouji estate. "I can't wait to meet that other Cardmaster and his Guardians, not to mention the girl who is a reincarnation of another powerful mage. I've heard so much about them."

Tomoeda had changed since her last visit five years ago, but not so much that she was completely lost. Still, just being there brought back memories, a lot of them now making her realize how… conceited she had been when she was younger. _And I had actually thought I could sing better than Daidouji-san… _That memory actually made her laugh a little, cheering her up considerably compared to how she had been feeling a moment before. She hated to admit it, but she had come to realize that her singing voice wasn't exactly the cream of the crop.

And there it was, the familiar Daidouji mansion, unmistakeable as it was probably the only mansion in Tomoeda. Other than the Ametori estate, of course, which was actually a good distance from the Daidouji mansion (and was actually a tad larger). Meiling had no idea how to get there, but she would probably learn later. She was let into the mansion without much trouble; apparently Tomoyo had informed her mother that she would be staying with them for a while. One of the maids showed her to Tomoyo's room, where upon entry she was greeted enthusiastically.

"Meiling-chan! It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"It really has, huh?" The two girls exchanged hugs before chatting, each sitting in a comfortable armchair. Meiling had the feeling tha tthe armchairs they sat in were probably like Eriol's old one. Not that she'd seen it before, though. In fact, tha treminded her. "Tomoyo-chan, in your last letter you said that something had happened that put your relationship with Hiiragizawa-san in danger. What is it? You didn't say anything about it."

"Well..." Tomoyo filled Meiling in on the details, and the other's expression continued to become more and more shocked with each word. By the time Tomoyo finished explaining to Meiling the current trouble she and Koryu were in, the Chinese girl looked as if she had seen something too terribly shocking to describe. Tomyo decided to add, "And we still haven't come up with a plan to get our parents to call off the engagement," watching as Meiling's expression somehow become even more shocked.

"WHAT?!" Meiling quickly clamped her hands over her own mouth, surprised by her own outburst. After a couple breathing exercises to calm herself down, she was able to trust herself to speak again. "So you and this Ametori-san guy haven't been able to figure _anything_ out? And you are the smartest person I know, not to mention you say that the guy is smart, too..."

"If we do something scandulous, it will ruin our parents' reputations," the young heiress said, sighing. "So we want to avoid that. Koryu-kun says his parents are rather... well, once they make their minds up it becomes near-impossible to change them."

"What about your mother? Surely if you ask her..."

"Okaa-sama is really busy now that Koryu-kun's parents are back from their long business trip, so I haven't been able to talk to her much recently." Tomoyo knew this for a fact, since Daidouji Toys Co. and Ametori Industries were partners. And with Kuryuko and Bakuryu able to be contacted much easier, all three of them have been going to long meetings more often. They apparently had some things they needed to work on that they hadn't had a chance to without meeting in person.

Meiling sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Well, with my help I'm sure we can figure something out... can we tlak more tomorrow? I'm feeling so tired..."

"Of course! Follow me, I'll show you to your room..."

0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0

"Meiling-chan!"

"Sakura-chan!" Meiling returned the Cardmistress's hug enthusiastically, glad to see her. She stepped back, a smile on her face. "It's been a long time!"

"Five years, to be precise," Syaoran put in, a grin on his face. Though he remembered what Meiling had told him, about the attack, he stayed silent about it. He didn't want to trouble Sakura, so he tried to be as happy as he could. Even if he knew his girlfriend would understand if he allowed his sadness to show. _At least there are survivors of the attack... including Meiling..._

"Oh! Meiling-chan, I'd like to introduce you!" Sakura gestured for Aiko, Koryu, and Tsukito to come closer. It was after school now, and the ywere all gathered in front of the familiar Penguin Park. "This is Aiko-chan, Koryu-kun, and Tsukito-san!" When a furry snout poked out of Aiko's bag, Sakura hastily added, "And that's Sori-chan!"

"My name is Solarus, not 'Sori-chan'," the little Guardian huffed, his voice coming out from Aiko's bag. Seeing as there were still some people around, he was not allowed to come out. In Sakura's bag, they could hear the sounds of a little Sun Guardian trying hard not to laugh. Suppie was there, too, but he was being carried by Nakuru, disguised as a plush toy. Meiling just had to let out a little laugh herself, and said, "Great to meet everyone!"

"I am glad to meet a pretty girl such as yourself," Koryu said, bowing wit ha smile. Aiko didn't do anything to him, knowing he didn't really mean anything by his words. As a boyfriend, he was very loyal. "Cheater" was definitely not the word to describe him, and everyone who knew him knew that. Meiling, though, not knowing him quite as well, was quite flattered by his words. "I'm sorry, Ametori-san, but I don't think I know you well enough yet! But thanks for the compliment!"

Meiling did get to know her new friends better as the rest of the week passed, not to mention all the changes tha thad occurred during her absence. If she hadn't known that the Cards could fall in love, she did now after having seen MIRROR and REFLECTION together. Kero, Suppie, and Sori all had constant competitions, trying to outdo each other in their videogame playing. She also learned of the current troubles, of how the magical weapons she had seen were really two of the stolen Imperial Regalia of Japan, and how Sakura came to be in possession of the last one.

Unfortunately, even she was having trouble coming up with a way to get Sonomi, Bakuryu, and Kuryuko to call off Koryu and Tomoyo's engagement. Knowing her new friends as well as she did now, even if she had only met Koryu earlier this week, Meiling would have preferred to see Tomoyo and Eriol together, and Koryu and Aiko with each other. This was a harder problem to fix than she had thought...

**Author's Notes: I finally finished this chapter... I've been working on i for a while now! I will try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible, and reveal a plan for calling off Tomoyo and Koryu's engagement! -stumbles- Stay tuned! Please!**


	10. Shadows of Misfortune

Disclaimer: Cardcaptor Sakura belogns to the lovely ladies of CLAMP! It only belongs to me in my dreams...

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Phase IX: Shadow of Misfortune

It was early in the morning, on the first day of the weekend, that Koryu announced a change in plans. Luckily, since it was still early, his plan wasn't taken badly. He, Aiko, Tsukito, Nakuru, Eriol, Tomoyo, Syaoran, Sakura, and Meiling were all together in front of Penguin Park, and since no one else was there yet Suppie, Kero, and Sori were not stuffed into purses or pretending to be stuffed animals. Instead, they were floating slightly above the others, small as they were.

A large grin was on Koryu's face as he and Aiko exchanged glances before the Cardmaster spoke. "I decided that since Meiling-san is here, we all might as well take a break from training and have a little trip! Nowhere far, we're just going a short distance away!"

"To where, Ametori-san?" Syaoran asked, frowning. He wasn't really pleased about Koryu cancelling their second training session without warning them, but he supposed it was for the better. Anything to forget the terrible news Meiling had brought. And by the looks of it, she probably could use it, too.

"Why, where else but Japan's capital city, Tokyo?" Koryu replied, sweeping his arm out in a rather exaggeratedly dramatic way. Silence, then shouts of surprise came from just about everyone.

"Tokyo?!"

It was Tomoyo who brought up the question on everyone's minds. "But how will we get there? I suppose we can take the train, but it could take awhile, and I don't think Kero-chan, Suppie-chan, or Sori-chan would be willing to remain stuffed in our purses for too long."

"Don't worry, Tomoyo-chan," Aiko said, a smile but unsure smile on her lips, "I have a solution. But…"

"'But' what, Aiko-chan?" Sakura asked, a little worried. She knew that whenever someone said "but" in that way it meant that there was some complication involved. And considering Aiko's solution probably involved magic, it might be potentially deadly.

"Well, I recently began practicing other forms of magic," Aiko explained. "I mean, I don't want to remain a Blademaster forever, so I decided to do what Arya-san had done, and most likely Clow-san. I've so far managed to learn the basics of puppetry magic, as well as a few other tricks, though I need to make myself a wand or staff later."

"Wait, puppetry magic? Don't tell me that's the same kind that Hiiragizawa had used on me that one time," Syaoran growled, giving Eriol a sour look. He had not liked that feeling of not being able to control his body's movements, even if that had helped Sakura transform the SWORD Card.

"It actually was," Eriol said, nodding. He then gestured for Aiko to continue. "Go ahead, please."

Aiko nodded. "A lesser form of magic I've been practicing is teleportation magic. It's simple, but…"

"Am I correct in presuming you haven't had much practice with it?" Eriol asked politely, and they were all a bit surprised and worried when she nodded.

"If I do the spell wrong… we might end up somewhere entirely different, or in different places at once."

"What do you mean by that last part?" Syaoran asked, exchanging glances with Sakura, whose grip on his arm tightened. They did not like the negative note in Aiko's voice.

"She means that we could end up with the top half of our body in one place, our right leg in another, and our left somewhere else," Koryu answered for Aiko, frowning, "among other possible outcomes, such as your eyes staying behind, your feet—"

"Stop that!" Meiling snapped, annoyed. She understood quite well why Syaoran could get annoyed with the mage at times. "We get the point!" To Aiko, she was nicer when she said, "I'm sure you can do it! I have no doubts that you would be able to pull it off without a hitch!"

"Well, let's get this over with, then," Kero said, as he and the other two Sun Guardians landed on Aiko, Tomoyo, and Sakura's heads. "I hope I at least have my stomach afterwards."

The Cardmistress shushed him, stuffing the little Guardian into her purse, which also held her Sakura Cards. "Go on, Aiko! We're ready!" Even so, she gripped Syaoran's hand tightly. Sure, Sakura sounded confident, but in actuality she was a bit worried.

"Here we go," Aiko muttered, closing her eyes, placing her hands in front of her palms-down. "_Kaze no chikara niyotte, watashitachi wozutto hakobi nasai. Ni watashitachi gaaritaianatano younin no watashitachi wo, tsukenasai, kakomi nasai!_"

Wind swirled about them as Aiko chanted her words, and a bright light enveloped them. After it faded out, everyone blinked for several seconds, a little blinded, before taking in their surroundings. They were now in an empty alley, and Koryu gave Aiko a curious stare. "You sure this is right?"

"Let's go see," she replied, leading the group. It shouldn't have been much surprise to find that they had, indeed, ended up in Tokyo. Not to mention the fact that they were all in one piece, without anything missing, even if Syaoran swore that he was missing some of his hair.

"You did it, Aiko-chan," Tomoyo said to the girl, smiling. Next to her, Eriol also congratulated her. Tsukito and Nakuru both were ecstatic, mostly because they weren't missing any body parts, but partly because Aiko had succeeded.

They explored Tokyo, noting how different it was from Tomoeda. More crowded, noisier, and with more shops as well. They were enjoying themselves until disaster struck. They were first warned of danger by a large explosion, smoke billowing into the air.

"What's happening?" Nakuru shouted, over the panicked shouts of others, who were all rushing away from the direction of the explosion. But she, Meiling, Tomoyo, Sakura, Syaoran, Tsukito, Aiko, Eriol, and Koryu went against the flow of the crowd, going _towards_ where the explosion had come from.

They heard police sirens, as well as their shouts.

"What the hell are they?!"

"Look out!"

"Icicles?! How is that possi—argh!"

Meiling instantly recognized the pair standing atop the crumbled remains of a ruin building, attacking the officers who were attempting to shoot them, with no success. "It's them! The ones who attacked the Li estate!"

Aiko recognized the objects they held. She watched as the male (he seemed Korean) used his sword to create a wind that cut most of the remaining officers to bloody shreds, while the (French?) woman's mirror shone a strange light upon the survivors, and they fell down, unmoving. "They must be the ones who stole the sword and mirror! The Kusanagi no Tsurugi and the Yata no Kagami!"

The man examined his work, and when he noticed them he only smiled. "So I see we have an audience. Why are you not afraid? Unless…"

The woman looked at him before turning to face them. "Kwan, I sense magic within most of them… powerful magic…"

Aiko stepped forward, her bracelet transforming into eight daggers floating around her. She was glaring at the man, who they now knew was called "Kwan", as she asked, "Who are you? Why did you steal the sacred sword?!"

"We are the ones who shall transform this world for the better!" the man replied, his smile growing. "With the sword and mirror, we can achieve this goal!" He looked at her daggers, and surprise shone in his eyes for a second. "You are a Blademaster as well?"

"Yes, and I disagree with your action!" Aiko was furious; the others could tell. Fire burned in the sorceress's eyes, as hot as if she had conjured it herself. "All who respect the laws of the Blademasters, of the greatest one of all, of Arya Hitoraumi, know that it is sacrilege to use the Kusanagi in such a manner! She herself had made it known to Blademasters everywhere to leave the sword where it is, that it rightfully belongs to those who can use its purpose for good!"

"And I am using it for good!" Kwan roared, shouting back at her. He found himself becoming annoyed by this girl, the one who dared speak out against his actions! "Together with Raine, I will cleanse this world of the humans who dare pollute the Earth! They who destroy nature every day, who care only for themselves!"

"But not everyone is like that!" Sakura cried out. "There are people who—"

"Sakura-san, they won't listen," Eriol said, examining the eyes of Raine and Kwan. "The yare not completely human; in fact, I don't think they're human at all."

"What?!" Syaoran shouted, turning to Eriol, frowning. "Then what are they?!"

"They are probably UnFamiliars," Tsukito said softly, his eyes narrowed. Tomoyo gave him a surprised stare, a curious look on her face. "Tsukito-san, what are 'UnFamiliars'?"

"UnFamiliars are animals who were once familiars, but turned rogue," Koryu explained, fingering his Moon Key. He was ready to transform it into the Moon Staff at any moment, now that he knew how dangerous their enemy was. "Because familiars are often exposed to magic, they can also learn to perform magic on their own. These two apparently were able to gain a lot of magic. I've only heard about UnFamiliars from Aiko; I never would have thought I'd meet any."

"Yes, we are UnFamiliars," Kwan said, raising his sword. "My true form is that of a serpent, a sangaku mamushi to be precise. Raine was a beautiful black cat, or so she tells me. Both of us killed the mages who had taken us as their familiars, and made ourselves humans to better achieve our goals!"

A blast of fire forced them to scatter, and Koryu, Sakura, and Eriol all chanted the incantations needed to transform their pendants. In the meantime, Syaoran summoned his sword while the Moon and Sun Guardians transformed into their true forms. Tomoyo found a safe place to hide and take cover, her video camera forgotten and still in her purse.

"Key which hides the power of the stars, reveal your true form before me! I, Sakura, command you under our contract! Release!"

"The key which hides the forces of darkness, reveal your true form to me. I, Eriol, command you under our contract. Release!"

"O key which hides the powers of the planets, show your true form before me! I, the Harbinger, command you under our contract! Release!"

"So, you are the new Cardmistress we heard of," Kwan said to Sakura, as she readied her cards. "Your power will be of great use to us once we take it from you!"

The Cardmistress felt worried, knowing how powerful their opponents were. This would have been the perfect opportunity to use the Yasakani no Magatama, but she didn't know how to use it! _We have to try, though! Too many people will be hurt if we don't put a stop to this! _"ARROW!"

Numerous bolts of light were fired at Kwan and Raine, who were able to dodge the attack easily, without a scratch. They were hard-pressed to escape Koryu's attack, however, when he used the BARRAGE Card, which was similar in effect to that of ARROW. But they retaliated, Raine sending some of their attacks back at them while Kwan manipulated the earth to send huge chunks of rock flying at them.

Lunarus and Ruby Moon fired red bolts of energy and streams of silver flames at them, to no avail. Cerberus and Solarus breathed silver and gold flames respectively, with Spinel Sun firing off red beams. Even the Sun Guardians couldn't harm them.

"Raitei Shourai!" Syaoran used his sword the fire off a bolt of electricity at Kwan, who raised a wall of wood. The Chinese warrior dodged the counterattack, a storm of icicles that nearly turned him into a human pincushion.

"Take this!" Meiling took Kwan by surprise, and he blocked her attacks as she kicked, punched, and more. Her strength and martial arts skills had greatly improved over the years, but she failed in injuring him as well. Kwan grabbed her leg as she attempted to roundhouse kick the side of his head, and he threw her. Meiling hit a wall and slid to the ground, unconscious.

"_Tsuino Okami ha Hikisaku_!" Aiko transformed her daggers into twin sickles, connected by a chain, and she leapt at Raine. The sorceress was intercepted by Kwan, and as the others fought against Raine, she dueled him. It was Blademaster versus Blademaster, she the reincarnation of Arya, he the wielder of the Kusanagi no Tsurugi.

"Humans can change! And the yare!" she shouted at him, their blades clashing. "Not all humans are as bad as you think! Most of us want to help nature, to heal the Earth! We don't want to destroy our only home!"

"You lie! All humans are the same!" A single, hard blow that Aiko barely managed to block sent her skidding backwards, her eyes meeting the cold glare of Kwan's. "They are greedy and selfish, and kill each other for personal reasons! They say we animals are the monsters, the fierce beasts of their nightmares?! Hah! They are more beastlike than we are!"

"BLADE!" Koryu intercepted Kwan's blade as the latter was bringing it down on Aiko's head. The Cardmaster barely blocked the attack in time, and he was glaring at the snake UnFamiliar. "Don't you dare harm her!"

"How sweet, it seems we have a couple here!" Kwan stared at Koryu, and his sword before realizing something. "You are a Cardmaster? I suppose the rumors were right then, that there were a second set of Clow Cards in existence…"

"Not Clow Cards… they were the Wraith Cards! Now, they are the Harbinger Cards!" Koryu lashed out at Kwan, who nimbly dodged the attack.

"Is that so?" A wicked smile crossed Kwan's features, and he shouted, "Raine! Use the spell!"

"What spell?" Sakura shouted, attempting to use WINDY and WATERY to stop Raine from doing whatever it was she was going to do. But the French woman dodged, smiling as she readied the mirror, pointing it at Koryu and chanting, "_Seishin seigyo_!"

A burst of light struck Koryu, who fell limp, still standing. His arms hung at his sides, his head titled forward. Aiko, a concerned look in her eyes, reached up and gently placed a hand on the Cardmaster's shoulder. "Koryu?"

Kwan was merely smiling, a triumphant look in his eyes. "Cardmaster, attack her."

"Yes," Koryu said softly, emotionlessly. He turned to face Aiko, who stepped back, shocked.

"N-No… Koryu, what are you doing?!" As he leapt at her, BLADE in hand, she parried his attack to the side. "Stop this!"

"It's no use. We control him now," Raine said, laughing.

"Let's go now, Raine, Cardmaster. We shall come later to finish what we started." Kwan smiled as Raine and Koryu stood at his sides, the other UnFamiliar chanting her spell, the Cardmaster staring back at the others with a blank look in his eyes. He seemed as if in a trance, and couldn't hear the cries of his friends.

"Koryu! Come back!" As the UnFamiliars disappeared in a flash of light with Koryu, Aiko shouted his name as if it could bring him back. She was crying, a waterfall of tears. She couldn't believe this was happening, she didn't want to! The sorceress fell to her knees, her weapons falling to the ground, as she stared at the spot Koryu had just been standing a moment earlier. Then, she pounded her fists on the ground, crying.

"Koryu… this can't be… n-no…" She tilted her head back, screaming to the heavens. The others watched, feeling her pain as they watched her express her grief. Aiko felt her heart breaking, and she broke down, softly sobbing Koryu's name, cursing the fates that had brought this misfortune upon them…

**Author's Notes: Poor Aiko-chan... and yeah, UnFamiliar is a concept I came up with. Kwan use to be the familiar of a Korean mage, while Raine was the familiar of a French mage. And yes, Kwan had been a snake while Raine had been a cat. It is hard to describe in typed/written words the grief and pain that Aiko-chan is experiencing. Can you imagine losing the one you love, who has no choice but to obey your enemies? I am sorry I did this... and what about MIRROR? I'll reveal how she feels about this ordeal in the next chapter. Don't forget, MIRROR is in love with REFLECTION, who is one of the Harbinger Cards and subsequently is with Koryu at the moment. -sobs- S-Stay tuned...**

Translation Notes

_Kaze no chikara niyotte, watashitachi wozutto hakobi nasai. Ni watashitachi gaaritaianatano younin no watashitachi wo, tsukenasai, kakomi nasai_: By the power of the Wind, carry us far. Light, envelop us in your embrace, to where we wish to be!

_Seishin seigyo_: Soul Control


	11. A Sunny Day's Rain

Disclaimer: I so do wish this weren't needed, but I'd rather not get sued! I DO NOT OWN CARDCAPTOR SAKURAAA!!

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Phase X: A Sunny Day's Rain

The sky outside was so bright and sunny, so cheerful, so happy. To a certain girl, it all seemed very, very wrong that the weather could be so good. With a wave of her hand, the curtains drew themselves closed, leaving the girl in the semi-darkness of her room. A young woman peered in, concern on her face as she sad, "Aiko-chan, you sure you aren't going to go to school today?"

She heard only a muffled groan before a reply finally came from beneath the blanket on the bed. "N-No, Nakuru-san… I'm not feeling well…"

Nakuru just nodded. "Okay then. Tsukito and I are going to work now, then… Ittekimasu, Aiko-chan."

"Itterashai…"

Closing the door softly shut behind her, Nakuru turned to face her husband, who also had a worried look on his face. They knew why the sorceress wasn't feeling well, why she didn't want to go to school. It might have been overreacting on Aiko's part, but considering none of them had any clue as to Koryu's whereabouts, and the fact that he was under the control of their enemies…

"I hope she feels better soon," Tsukito commented as he closed their apartment door behind them, locking it. Nakuru sighed as they began their trek down the stairs to the ground floor. She noticed how depressed Tsukito looked, and she gripped his hand tightly. "Don't worry, Tsukito. We'll find him."

He smiled at his wife, pulling her into a hug. "Thanks, Nakuru. That makes me feel a bit better."

0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0

_He's gone… he's not here…_ These negative and very depressing thoughts ran through Aiko's mind as she lay in bed, her face buried into her pillow. The girl felt as if all the colors in the world had drained away, leaving only grays. It was as if there was a gaping hole where her heart use to be.

"Aiko-sama?" A little dragon-winged wolf cub floated in, struggling to carry a steaming hot cup of tea. "Aiko-sama, I brought some tea…"

Sori heard only silence, other than the occasional muffled sob. He floated over to the bedside dresser, setting the cup down. "Well, it's here when you want it. Call me if you need me."

Floating out of the room, Solarus ignored his videogame console as he sat on the floor of the living room. The wolf cub scratched his ears idly as he thought about the events of three days ago. _Hard to believe it's been three days… but…_

Sori turned on the television, switching it to the news channel. It showed a city in ruins, the fifth one surprisingly. Apparently the UnFamiliars worked fast. This one looked like New York City, considering the headless Statue of Liberty standing in the harbor, the collapsed Empire State Building, and various other hints.

The reporter was live, walking among the rubble. "Again disaster has struck, this time New York City in the United States of America. Other cities that have been attacked in a similar fashion include Hong Kong, Paris, London, and a few more major cities all over the world. No one was able to escape uninjured, and countless men, women, and children are missing or dead. The number of deceased persons is still rising as more and more bodies are found among the ruins…"

Sori shut off the television, pondering this news. _The UnFamiliars are using Master's powers to their advantage. This is not good at all…_

0-o-0-o-0-o-0

"Aiko-chan and Koryu-kun haven't come to school for a while," Chiharu noted, as the group sat together at lunch. It was a quieter affair than usual, and even Takashi wasn't lying like he usually did. They along with Rika and Naoko could sense the depressing aura that surrounded their friends, and that suppressed their own happy mood.

Sakura and Syaoran ate slowly and silently, while Eriol and Tomoyo barely touched theirs. Koryu's parents and Tomoyo's mother believed that Koryu was missing because he had run away, and that he had run away because he did not like the engagement. Though the Daidouji heiress was glad that the dilemma of finding a solution to the engagement problem was solved, that didn't change the fact that Koryu was still missing.

"I hope they'll come back soon," Rika whispered to Naoko, who nodded in agreement. It made them feel uncomfortable to see their friends depressed, even though they were usually so cheerful and happy.

Meiling was waiting at the school gate for them after school let out, tapping her foot impatiently. Though she too felt the depression that seemed contagious, Meiling tried not to let it affect her too much. As they walked, Meiling said, "How about we go visit Hanenendo-san? I'm sure we can all use the visit!"

The other teenagers considered this, and after a moment they agreed. They needed to do something to cheer themselves up, and that included Aiko. Knowing the way to the Kajihana residence, it was simple to get there. Sori opened the door for them, seeing as Aiko was the only other one there and she was still in bed.

"What?! Still?!" Meiling could not believe her ears when she heard Sori's explanation. She pushed up her sleeves, marching in with a determined look in her eyes. "I'm gonna go have a talk with that girl! She really needs to snap out of it!"

Exchanging worried glances, Sakura, Syaoran, Eriol, Tomoyo, and Sori followed the Chinese girl, who was going from room to room. She hadn't been to Tsukito and Nakuru's apartment before, but that didn't stop her search. But seeing as the apartment didn't have all that many rooms and it wasn't impressively big either, it didn't take very long for the warrior girl to find the right room.

"Hanenendo-san! Hanenendo-san! Wake up!" Meiling marched up to the windows, pulling the curtains open wide, allowing the sunlight to stream through. She then proceeded to tear the blanket off of Aiko's bed, revealing the depressed girl beneath. Aiko glared at Meiling before attempting to hide under the blankets again. To prevent that, Meiling tossed the blankets on the floor. The others watched silently, feeling the tension in the air. Syaoran could've sworn sparks flew when Meiling and Aiko glared at each other, neither giving quarter.

It was Aiko who finally looked away, then glared again. "What do you want, Meiling-san?"

"You need to stop this moping!" Meiling didn't hesitate in saying what she thought, the words flowing easily from her lips. "It's pathetic, to see you like this! What happened to the proud and happy Hanenendo-san we all know? This is not like you!"

"You wouldn't understand!" Aiko snapped, with her eyes still red from her crying. Now they were brimming with angry tears, a furious fire burning in her eyes. "How could you?! I loved Koryu more than anyone else; he meant the world to me! With him, I learned to be myself, he was the first one I could express myself to! Koryu meant _everything_ to me and now he's gone!"

Meiling was silent for a moment, staring back at the angry Aiko. Then, she raised a hand… and slapped her. This one action shocked everyone, especially Aiko. Sakura took a step forward, asking, "Meiling-chan, why did you—"

"Aiko-san!" Meiling said sternly, looking down at the shocked girl. Aiko touched where Meiling had slapped her, her cheek turning red from the blow. "Sure, Ametori-san isn't here, sure he's gone, but _he is alive_! Shouldn't that count for something? Even if he is under the control of our enemies, he is still alive! When we find him, we can break the spell they've put on him! So stop being so depressed, and get up and live out your life! Do you think that Ametori-san would want to see you like this?"

Aiko looked down at the bed, not meeting Meiling's gaze. "Y-You're right… but… even so…"

"Meiling-chan is right." Tomoyo stepped forward, sitting on the bed and gently laying a hand on the sorceress's shoulder. "Koryu-kun wouldn't want to see you like this. I am sure he is alright."

Aiko sniffed, and tears fell from her eyes. But she was neither sad nor angry this time. IT was more like the sort of tears one would cry when asking for forgiveness and receiving it. A more positive type of crying. "Thank you… I'm sorry, everyone. I-I was being selfish…"

"It's alright! We understand," Sakura said, smiling. "I remember when I thought Syaoran had forgotten everything about me, and his feelings for me, after I sealed the NOTHING Card. It's not quite the same situation, but I can still understand how you were feeling, Aiko-chan." She took hold of Syaoran's hand, giving a small squeeze. He returned it, smiling back at her.

Eriol put his own two cents in, as he said, "It was due to a prophetic dream that I learned that Kaho would be forever gone from my life. I didn't show it, but I was heartbroken by the news. If Tomoyo hadn't been there for me, I might not have recovered." He went over ot Tomoyo, placing his hand on hers. The loving smiles they gave each other caused Aiko to remember moments like that that she had shared with Koryu, and she burst into tears again.

"Thank you, everyone… I feel better now! Thank you!" Sori flew in carrying another cup of hot green tea, which Aiko drank gratefully. Once she was finished, the sorceress got out of bed, wiping away her tears. "You're right. I have to find Koryu. And when I break that spell that the UnFamiliars had cast upon him, things will return to the way they were before."

Sakura nodded, agreeing, when suddenly she felt a chill run down her spine. A soft light alerted her to the fact that the Yasakani no Magatama around her neck was glowing. IT was reacting to something, and the Cardmistress felt that she knew what it was.

Syaoran gave her an alarmed look, and Aiko went up to Sakura, eyeing the jade bead necklace. "The Yasakani no Magatama… something big must be happening for it to be glowing like this. What it is, I do not know."

0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0

"Finally, I have done it!" Kwan roared with laughter as the Kusanagi split into eight blades, each sword sharp enough to cut through the hardest of diamonds, so strong that nothing could even scratch it. "I have unlocked the true potential of the Kusanagi no Tsurugi! With this new power, nothing and no one will be able to stop us!"

Each blade was infused with one of the eight Blademaster elements. The Hi no Tsurugi was a sword of fire, blazing with burning flames. The Mizu no Tsurugi was a blade of water, crystal-clear and able to be changed into a blade of ice. The Kaze no Tsurugi, a sword of wind, the Tsuchi no Tsurugi a keen blade of stone, the Kinzoku no Tsurugi a metal blade sharper than the keenest blade, sharper than even the Kaze no Tsurugi and stronger than diamond, the Rai no Tsurugi a blade crackling with electricity, Hikari no Tsurugi a blade made purely of light, its twin the Yami no Tsurugi the direct opposite, made of pure darkness.

Raine watched with interest while the spellbound Koryu sat nearby, his eyes blank, as if in a trance. In a way, he was, and he remained under their control. But within the depths of the Cardmaster's mind, something bothered him. Something important, he knew he was forgetting something important. But what was it? He couldn't remember. Each time, though, he tried to remember, the face of a pretty girl with shining sapphire eyes and silky light brown hair appeared for a split second. It always disappeared as fast as it appeared. Somehow, though, he felt that the girl was the key to remembering.

But who was she?

**Author's Notes: Okay, so there was a bit of drama here. And I know, I said I would say something about MIRROR here, but there just wasn't room... and I was running out of ideas. Hey, aren't you glad that I brought Meiling into the story? If I hadn't, Aiko would probably be still depressed. Then again, because she came Koryu decided they should go to Tokyo, which then... ow, brain hurting. Anyways, Things end in a rather ominous note, don't they? -nods- Stay Tuned!**


	12. Memories

Disclaimer: EEK! EVIL DANCING BANANAS! I DO NOT OWN CCS, SO PLEASE GO AWAY DDR-LOVING BANANAAS!!!

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Phase XI: Memories

"_Sakura-san…"_

"_Hm?" The dream was familiar, her surroundings a thick, white mist. Visibility was very, very low, though Sakura could hear the voice as if the speaker were right next to her. The voice itself was also familiar, sounding feminine, and kind. The Cardmistress knew this voice, from another dream similar to this. This was like the dream when she had first received the Yasakani no Magatama._

"_Sakura-san, the time draws near… soon, my power shall be needed… it might be too soon, however." The concerned note in the voice worried Sakura, even if she did not know what time the voice was referring to._

"_The hidden power of the Kusanagi no Tsurugi has been awakened, and unlocked… its power is even greater than before, and therefore more dangerous."_

"_What can I do?" Sakura asked, looking around. The mist was glowing with a soft light, a light that did not blind her, but did make her surroundings less… eerie._

"_You shall know when the time comes… when it does, my power shall be awakened…" The Cardmistress closed her eyes as the light enveloped her, the dream ending nearly as suddenly as it had begun…_

0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0

"…And that was what happened." She awaited a reaction from her friends after describing her dream, watching their faces closely. School had let out about half an hour ago, and they were all gathered at the local library, conversing in soft whispers. Sakura paid special attention to Aiko, who by now had returned more or less to normal. Sadness still lingered in the girl's eyes, but she seemed determined to not let it control her as it had two days previous. And that was quite relieving to her friends.

"I find it quite worrying," Eriol commented, his eyes on the book lying in front of him as he wrote down a couple more notes in his notebook. The mage pushed his glasses a bit further up his nose as he worked, before he looked up to look Sakura directly in the eyes. "'The hidden power of the Kusanagi no Tsurugi…' What does that mean?"

"Obviously, the UnFamiliars are stronger now than they were before," Syaoran answered, frowning. He obviously did not like the sound of that any more than the others did. "And considering that they were powerful to begin with, this doesn't make it an easy task for us to take them out before the catastrophe Aiko foresaw comes true."

"Everything and everyone was destroyed," Aiko murmured, shivering. She recalled the dream that led her to realize that a disaster was going to befall the planet if not stopped. "IT wasn't clear, but I felt a terrible dread. Buildings crumbled, cities went up in flames, the earth shuddered, storms formed… no, that is something I definitely would not want happening to the world."

"Aiko-chan, is there anything in Arya-san's memories about any hidden strengths of the Imperial Regalia?" Tomoyo asked the sorceress, looking hopeful. Unfortunately, Aiko shook her head, looking annoyed with herself.

"I wish there was! It would make things so much easier for us!"

As the days wore on, Sakura continued to have dreams where the Yasakani no Magatama spoke to her, warning her of approaching danger. The Cardmistress knew to take these dreams seriously, and she never forgot to wear the necklace of jade comma-shaped beads everyday, just in case something happened. She as well as the others tried to act as normal as possible, though that was rather difficult when they knew an attack could come at any moment.

Bakuryu and Kuryuko were contacting everyone they could and knew to gather information about their son's whereabouts. He had been gone so long, they were getting more and more worried each day. Daidouji Sonomi did what she could to assist the distraught parents, but none of them could come up with anything. Though it might have alleviated their worries a tiny bit (emphasis on "tiny") Aiko and the others did not dare tell the truth. For one thing, they probably wouldn't believe them. And on the other hand, hearing that your son was under the control of people who were out to destroy all of humanity probably would not sound very reassuring.

And every day, news reports about various cities and towns all over the world being destroyed, leveled, or vaporized continued to pour in. Untold millions were either missing or dead, followed closely by a huge number of people who were in mysterious comas. This made it possible for Sakura and the others to track where the UnFamiliars and Koryu were going, and they continued to predict where they would head next.

All of them knew, however, that eventually they would return to finish what they had started, and wreck Tokyo.

0-o-0-o-0-o-0

"Thank you for covering for Sakura-chan, MIRROR." Aiko and the others were in Sakura's bedroom, where there were actually two Sakuras at the moment. One was obviously the real one, while the other was MIRROR. They had just come back from training, continuing what Koryu had started. MIRROR nodded in reply to Aiko, and resumed her true form.

MIRROR had been quite distressed upon hearing that the Cardmaster was spellbound by the enemy, under their control. That was obviously because REFLECTION was with him and if Koryu was gone then so was the Harbinger Card she was in love with. But she was determined to help the Cardmistress in the best way she could, so that they would be able to break the spell on Koryu, and also return REFLECTION.

"Mistress?"

"Yes, MIRROR?" Sakura looked at the Sakura Card, who seemed… hesitant. There was something MIRROR definitely wanted to talk about, but obviously she seemed to be having second thoughts about it.

"Well, I just wanted… I was thinking…"

"What is it?" Meiling asked impatiently. MIRROR looked startled, then she took a deep breath and stated what she had been hesitant in saying.

"I wanted, now, rather than later, to finally tell you how REFLECTION and I came to know each other… fall in love… and…"

"And separate," Aiko whispered, finishing MIRROR's sentence. She remembered hearing from REFLECTION how guilty MIRROR told him she had felt about saying terrible things to him, before they picked up where they had left off. Everyone, including Meiling (who by then had heard the complete and detailed account of their battle against Koryu), was surprised by this. They had long ago given up hope about hearing this story.

"Are you sure?" Sakura was answered by a nod, and knew MIRROR honestly wanted to tell them now. But that raised a few more questions. "But MIRROR… why only now?"

"I just remembered something that the Mistress of the Wraith Cards, before the current Cardmaster of the Harbinger Cards, said about the catastrophe…"

"Wait, Arya-san had foreseen it as well?" Tomoyo's voice held a note of surprise, and she spoke for everyone when she asked this. The reincarnation of the sorceress herself was surprised as well, Aiko not having known this little tidbit of information until just now. Kero frowned as he regarded the Sakura Card, arms folded across his chest.

"So if you tell us how the heck you and what's-his-name—"

"REFLECTION!" Sakura corrected him, annoyed. She turned back to MIRROR, saying in a kinder tone, "Will you also explain why Eriol-kun and Aiko-chan can't remember Arya-san or Clow-san having ever met before?"

MIRROR nodded. Tsukito and Sori exchanged glances, both curious. Though they had been able to participate in the training, being able to transform without Koryu's help, they both knew that the Cardmaster would be able to return them to their not-quite-so-magical forms should they ever have to fight him while he was under the UnFamiliars' control. But the glances they exchanged were those of ones who heard someone say they knew something they couldn't remember. Kero obviously felt the same way, and Yue might have if he had been here instead of in the United State with Toya.

"Are you going to start from the beginning, or somewhere in the middle?" Syaoran asked, as everyone found somewhere or something to sit on. Everyone knew this would be a rather long story, or at least thought it would be. MIRROR sat between Sakura and Tomoyo on the Cardmistress's bed, wondering how she should begin her tale.

"Whenever you feel ready," Eriol said, in a kind and soft tone. The Sakura Card just nodded, and took a deep breath.

"Do you remember Clow-sama's mansion, before the new amusement park was built over its foundations?"

"Yeah," Sakura answered, glancing at Eriol, who seemed unfazed by the reminder of his old home.

"It had been a bright day, with the sun shining brightly. There hadn't been a single cloud in the sky…"

**Author's Notes: Yup, MIRROR is finally going to tell the tale of how she and REFLECTION met, as well as how Clow and Arya came to know each other, and why Eriol, Aiko, Yue, Kero, Sori, and Tsukito don't remember a thing about it! MIRROR's tale will probably last for a few chapters, but when it's finished we will return to the... present. -head spins- Staaaaay tuuuuned!!**


	13. Unexpected Guests

Disclaimer: Cardcaptor Sakura and its characters belong to CLAMP, not me. The plot, original characters, and the Wraith/Harbinger Cards are mine, however

* * *

Phase XII: Unexpected Guests

It was a bright day, the sun shining high in the sky. There were no clouds to be seen, as befitted the springtime. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, their petals carried far and wide by the four winds. It was near one of these trees, within the perimeters of his property, that a lone man stood. He admired the sakura tree for its elegance and beauty, for how the petals of such a tree fell in so noble a manner.

_Well, they probably fall in such a way because they knew they shall return next year_, he mused, a smile on his face. It was tough, being a powerful magician with many enemies, but he always, always found plenty of time to relax and enjoy life. His peace was momentarily disturbed by a deep, rather growly voice, that belonging to one of his creations, the Sun Guardian Cerberus.

"Clow-sama." As his voice sounded rather insistent, Clow could not help but turn to see what the matter was. And his smile only seemed to grow upon the sight of a very muddy Cerberus. The Sun Guardian seemed rather… embarrassed, but he would be too if his fur was splattered with layers of mud (though a fur coat would certainly be useful in the winter; Cerberus was quite lucky).

"What happened this time?" Clow's voice was not harsh or scolding, it was gentle and understanding. Though he couldn't help but keep smiling; a muddy Cerberus was a rather humorous sight.

"Erm… I kinda… sorta… slipped," Cerberus admitted, though he didn't really want to. Clow just shook his head in amusement.

"I'm beginning to believe you rather like these baths, Cerberus. BUBBLES." What appeared to be a young mermaid girl wearing a blue gem necklace along with some pearls tied around her head materialized, and nodding in respect to her creator, the Clow Card proceeded to transform into a large pile of bright pink bubbles. Cerberus was soaped down, and after WATERY was used he was suitably mud-free.

A big grin was on the Sun Guardian's feline face as he shook himself dry. "Thank you, Clow-sama! That feels so much be—" He paused, and his eyes narrowed. A low growl escaped his throat, his fur raising. Clow looked in the direction Cerberus was looking, again to see what the matter was.

A wolf stood there, watching them. It did not look like a normal wolf, however. Its fur had a shining, silvery sheen, wearing a breastplate embedded with a large diamond. The wolf also seemed a tad larger than normal wolves, and there was one last feature that set it apart from the rest: The wolf bore large, black draconic wings akin to those of European myths and legends.

The wolf approached them slowly, a majestic aura surrounding it as it walked. Each step seemed to be deliberately placed as if to show that it was a creature of much more elegance than the other who watched it (Cerberus, of course). Clow gestured for Cerberus to calm himself, and he watched the wolf's approach with interest. HE could sense magical power emanating form the creature, similar to that which Cerberus bore.

The wolf sat in front of Clow, glancing at Cerberus for but a moment before returning its gaze to the renowned sorcerer. "My name is Solarus, and I am the Sun Guardian of my mistress, the esteemed Arya Hitoraumi-sama. She requests an audience with you, Clow Reed-sama."

"Arya?" Cerberus growled, not liking this visitor. "Do you mean the Wraith? The woman whose very appearance is said to bring about the death of anyone nearby, whose very presence is an omen of ill-fortune all on its own?"

"Cerberus, would you please be a little kinder to our guest?" Clow asked kindly, still smiling. The Sun Guardian merely grumbled a bit before backing off, now resting in a sitting position, his golden eyes upon the silver wolf. The magician returned his attention to Solarus, as the wolf had referred to himself as. "I accept her request. I am very curious, and I have some questions I hope she would be able to answer for me."

Solarus nodded, standing again. "Very well. IF you would follow me please."

"One moment." Clow took a card out of the folds of his robe, and Cerberus stood up, stepping back a bit. "MIRROR. If you would be so kind as to assume my form while I am away."

Wind swirled about him as a blinding light emanated from the Clow Card. When it faded, it was as if he were looking into a mirror, albeit without the glass. MIRROR, having taken on the appearance of Clow Reed, bowed in respect to him, and Clow waved a small goodbye as he followed Solarus. Cerberus glanced at MIRROR, and sighed. "Boy, Yue will be cross when he realizes Clow-sama just left without saying anything to him."

"Say anything to me about what, Cerberus?"

Both MIRROR and Cerberus flinched in surprise, and it was the Sun Guardian who whirled around to face Yue. MIRROR, still disguised as Clow Reed, moved in the graceful way Clow tended to, so as to play her role better. Unfortunately, she was unable to fool the Moon Guardian, who regarded the Clow Card with a cold stare.

"I know that it is you, MIRROR. You can drop the disguise."

Sighing in defeat (which was rather comical considering she still bore Clow's appearance when she did so), MIRROR resumed her normal, true form. Yue then turned back to Cerberus, giving him a look that clearly stated that he wanted the complete, total, absolute truth… or else.

No one could stand under that sort of pressure for very long. Cerberus certainly didn't. "Clow-sama… well, he… uh…"

Yue raised an inquisitive eyebrow, his stare unrelenting. "What is it about Clow-sama that you are attempting to tell me, Cerberus?"

"Erm… we had a visitor, and…"

"And?"

"He… left with the visitor, to have a little, um… chat, with someone."

Yue was no fool. He knew perfectly well that Cerberus was hiding something. And he continued with his cold, no-nonsense stare, at least until Cerberus finally gave in. This, surprisingly, took a lot less effort than the Moon Guardian had expected, as Cerberus said, "He left because the sorceress Arya Hitoraumi had requested an audience with him."

"I don't think I would be interested in letting you keep a secret for me," MIRROR commented drily, ignoring Cerberus as he glared at her for a quick moment before returning his attention to Yue, who was rather silent.

Another presence attracted the Guardians' attentions, and at this they both assumed stances that told MIRROR they were ready to fight at any moment. She turned, to see an exceedingly beautiful woman, with long and wavy light brown hair, her sapphire eyes gleaming with an inner wisdom. There was also a sense of humor within those eyes, as she walked steadily towards them. The woman wore robes of black silk, blacker than night, speckled with what seemed like small crystals, making it seem as if she wore robes made from cloth cut out of the sky. A bracelet made of chain links that suspiciously resembled daggers was worn on her right wrist, while a sapphire pendant hung from a silver chain around her neck.

"That must be…"

"Arya," Yue finished for Cerberus, at the same time addressing the woman. She merely nodded once, then smiled. The Moon Guardian's eyes narrowed as he regarded her. "Where is Clow-sama?"

"He is fine, do not worry about him." The sound of her voice surprised them, even if Yue didn't show it outwardly. MIRROR had not expected one with such a bad reputation to have such an elegant, beautiful voice. But something was a little odd about her, something the Clow Card couldn't quite put a finger on.

"If you have harmed him, you will be the one to feel our wrath," Cerberus growled. Arya laughed, as she seemed rather… amused by their reactions.

"I already said he is fine. He is currently deep in conversation with my mistress at the mome—" At that, she clapped a hand to her mouth, seemingly surprised by her own words. MIRROR raised an eyebrow, and asked, "What do you mean by your 'mistress'? Are you really Arya-san?"

The woman sighed in defeat, similar to the sigh MIRROR had given earlier, and she changed. Standing before them was no longer a woman, but a boy. He had a rather pale complexion, like MIRROR, and wore a long flowing white kimono, his long green hair tied back into a thin braid. A round mirror was in his hands, and Cerberus, glancing between MIRROR and the boy, looked visibly shocked.

"I-I'm seeing double," he commented, rubbing his eyes. "I see MIRROR, and a kid who looks almost exactly like her. He even has a mirror, and transformed…"

"My name is REFLECTION," the boy said, bowing. None of them really noticed that he bowed more in MIRROR's direction than to Cerberus or Yue… or if they had noticed, they were probably just seeing things (yeah, right… as if). As he straightened, he flashed a smile at MIRROR, who smiled back. She was actually beginning to _like_ this stranger… who had an odd name. But then, who was she to talk?

"I am like MIRROR in more ways than you think," REFLECTION said, winking. Once again, they were surprised. MIRROR especially. "H-How do you know my name?"

"My mistress knows many things," the boy replied, still smiling. "She sent me to let you know that she is not as evil as he reputation implies. Clow-sama himself already seems to have known that before he met her. But I should explain as to what I am and why Arya-sama knows so much."

"That would be very much appreciated," Yue commented.

"My name is REFLECTION, but to be more precise I am the REFLECTION Card, one of mistress Arya-sama's Wraith Cards, which are similar in effect to Clow-sama's Clow Cards such as you, MIRROR."

"Wraith Cards?" Cerberus groaned. "Don't tell me…"

REFLECTION merely nodded, still grinning. "As I'm sure you know, Arya-sama is widely known for her skill at mastering other magical arts and techniques rather quickly, creating her own versions of those arts she copied. As it were, she spent a lot of time gathering information on Clow-sama's famous Clow Cards. Finally, having gathered all the information she could, she created fifty-two cards that were similar to the Clow Cards. Including me, of course."

"So you are essentially MIRROR but created by another, and in a different set of cards?"

"That would be correct," REFLECTION replied, answering Yue's question. "And we Wraith Cards are a bit different in that Arya-sama uses not only a balance of sun and moon magic, but mostly planetary power."

"She uses the magic of the planets?" MIRROR was surprised, but decided she shouldn't really be. Similar to the sun and moon magic, planetary magic drew on the power of the planets among the stars above, including the very planet they lived on. It was a delicate balance of power, as each of the nine planets gave off their own energy. Should even one planet's flow be disrupted in some way, the magic would waver and essentially become useless.

The Wraith Card nodded, and clapped his hands together. "Well, since I have introduced myself… erm, could you please introduce yourselves? I don't really know all of you that well…"

**Author's Notes: The first chapter of MIRROR's story is up! And yes, I say nine planets, not eight! I count Pluto as a planet! They say it's a dwarf planet, but isn't it still essentially a planet?! Geez! So-called scientists... Anyways, I am not sure how many more chapters of MIRROR's tale there will be so... -drumroll- STAY TUNED!!! Please!**


	14. That Which Blooms In Spring

Disclaimer: Cardcaptor Sakura is not mine, no matter how much I beg for it.

* * *

Phase XIII: That Which Blooms In Spring

MIRROR smiled to herself as she watched REFLECTION, deep in conversation with Yue and Cerberus. Though they had only met him, she and the two Guardians found he was rather easy to get along with. RELFECTION had a friendly, outgoing personality, polite but making the occasional teasing or sarcastic remark when an opportunity arose for it. The Clow Card noticed that he seemed to smile at her a lot, and she could never help but always smile back.

It wasn't very long until they sensed more presences, though while Yue and Cerberus were alarmed, REFLECTION assured them that it was quite alright. It was only Arya's own Guardians. Cerberus had already met the wolf, Solarus, but the other one was new. A young man with rather unruly hair, quite messy really, and hazel eyes gleaming with mischievousness. The young man bore dragon wings the color of night, similar to the wolf's, but his grin made him look very friendly.

"REFLECTION!" The young man walked up towards them, then paused at the sight of Cerberus and Yue, who were regarding him with suspicious looks. It seemed to take a moment before he finally realized why. "Whoops, guess I'd better introduce myself before I get mortally wounded! My name is Lunarus, Moon Guardian of the Wraith Cards and a friendlier guy than Solarus here."

"Humph, annoying is more like it," the wolf muttered. He turned his attention to REFLECTION, who winked at MIRROR (surprisingly, she found herself blushing a little and looked away) before looking back at the Sun Guardian. "Arya-sama and Clow-sama shall be arriving soon. The Mistress has been keen to meet his Guardians for awhile now. Lunarus and I were sent ahead to let you know."

"And you are slower than I had imagined, Solarus." Though her voice was soft, it carried far and was easily heard by everyone there. REFLECTION, MIRROR, and the four Guardians all looked in the direction the voice came from, which was right behind Solarus. There she was, Arya Hitoraumi, who looked exactly like REFLECTION had before the Wraith Card dropped his disguise. An aura of great wisdom enveloped her, as well as a sense (to MIRROR at least) that she carried great sadness as well. Walking next to her was Clow, the smile on his face similar to Arya's. Both seemed rather amused by something, possibly because they had arrived sooner than the Guardians had expected.

REFLECTION bowed his head respectfully towards his Cardmistress, who merely smiled. "REFLECTION, return to your sealed form please." The Wraith Card nodded, smiled at MIRROR one more time (when he threw a wink in with it, MIRROR blushed furiously, though she couldn't quite figure out why) and transformed into a card. Arya caught the card as it flew toward her, and she gently slipped REFLECTION back into her card deck.

MIRROR followed suit, returning to Clow. The mage was still smiling as he addressed his Guardians. "Arya-san is truly an interesting person. She is one who does not deserve her reputation as an omen of ill-fortune."

"I am flattered to be receiving such compliments from such a famous mage," Arya said bowing a little, her smile never leaving her face. She looked at her Guardians, raising a questioning eyebrow. "Lunarus, Solarus, are you playing nicely with the other Guardians?"

"Yes ma'am, of course ma'am," Lunarus replied, grinning mischievously. Arya shook her head at this, but everyone could tell that she was merely amused by his reply. The sorceress was not quite like Yue or Cerberus had expected; indeed, they had been expecting one with a very serious personality, who rarely smiled at all. Instead, she seemed to be rather similar to Clow in the personality aspect.

"Would you prefer continuing our conversation outside, or would you prefer if we went into my manor?" Clow asked politely, with a smile. Arya shook her head, replying, "I would rather remain outside if you please, Clow-san. The weather is wonderful, and the fragrance of the blooming cherry blossoms are quit elegant. However…"

She looked at the four Guardians, and sighed. "There is something important I wish to talk to you about. But I would prefer to speak of it with you in private." Her own Guardians understood immediately, and waited for Arya's orders that would have them leave. Yue and Cerberus, however, were understandably a little more hesitant about it. At least until Clow nodded at them, and the two Guardians went inside, obviously a little unhappy by this decision but respecting their master's wishes.

"So then, Arya-san, what is so important you wished to talk to me about it in private?"

"One moment, if you please. REFLECTION, I require the use of your Memory's Surface." The Wraith Card materialized as a mirror, the same one REFLECTION had been carrying, though the entire mirror itself was in fact REFLECTION. "REFLECTION, while in his mirror form, has the power to reflect on his reflective surface a memory that I wish to share." (A/N: Sort of like a TV screen, but magical!)

The images she showed Clow were not happy ones. One showed a place vastly different from any town in this day age, in ruins. A man and a woman carried a sword and a mirror, and Clow recognized the objects as the Kusanagi no Tsurugi and the Yata no Kagami. The image panned out to show them facing a teenage girl, in one hand carrying a pink staff topped by a winged star, in her other a jade necklace known as the Yasakani no Magatama. Clow kept this information to himself, but he recognized her as an older Sakura, the young girl he had chosen to be the future Cardmistress of the Clow Cards.

Arya began to explain the image; of what it was she had seen. "This appeared to me in a dream. Apparently, the world is going to undergo a great disaster, a catastrophe that will threaten to destroy it. Though I presume the girl in my vision is the only one who will be able to stop them, as she is wielding the sealing beads. But I still worry. The Imperial Regalia have greater power than one can ever imagine, and such power cannot be wielded without a price. Unless the wielders had been chosen by the sacred object…"

"I know," Clow said softly, understanding what trouble will be ahead for those in the future. "The Regalia will become tainted, and will be the ones possessing the wielders instead of the other way around unless their powers are sealed. And there is only one that can seal the powers of the Regalia, and it is one of them."

"The Yasakani no Magatama is a symbol of benevolence," Arya began, letting the image on the mirror fade and having REFLECTION revert to his true form, the boy adjusting his grip on the mirror, "so it will no doubt choose one worthy enough to wield it when the time comes, when trouble arises and catastrophe imminent. Nevertheless, the sealing will also come with a price, and if the girl does not have enough power to pay for the sealing… I am afraid she will die."

"Yes," Clow whispered, himself now troubled. But only slightly. "However, if the Yasakani chose her, then doesn't that mean that it finds her strong enough to perform the task it requires of her? Being the beads which symbolize benevolence, I have no doubt it would rather chose one who has enough power to live after using it."

"But even so, she would most likely have only one try. If she fails at the sealing…"

"She won't have another chance, and the world shall fall into ruin. I know," Clow said. Arya stared at him with respect written all over her face, a smile forming where her worried frown had been.

"You are much wiser than anyone I have ever met, Clow-san," Arya said, bowing, "Your power of foresight is much greater than my own."

"Ah, but it is rather shadowed by the many arts you have learned, mastered, and perfected," Clow replied, and Arya felt her face heat up a little at his compliments. She couldn't remember the last time she had been treated in such a kind manner, considering that many others considered her something to be feared and hated. It felt so good to be treated like… well, sort of like any other human. Arya bowed respectfully, smiling.

"But if there is any art I would not be able to perfect, it would be the Cards. Certainly, they are wonderful," Arya added, patting REFLECTION on the head. He grinned in the manner a boy whose mother showered compliments upon him would, and Clow knew the Wraith Cards were as important to Arya as the Clow Cards were to himself. "But I doubt I would be the one to perfect them. Perhaps the next one to take my place as master of the Wraith Cards would do it. My visions are quite reassuring…"

Clow caught the hint, that she had foreseen who would inherit her Cards, just as he had done. It struck him that she thought in a similar way to him when it came down to the Cards, although he already knew many of the things that would occur in the future. But then, visions were just glimpses of what could be, and not always what would be. "Have you decided on a way to 'assist' your successor in truly making the Wraith Cards their own?"

Arya nodded, and she followed as they headed into Clow's mansion. REFLECTION returned to his card form as they did so, and was slipped back into the deck. "Not quite. That is another reason why I wished to speak with you, Clow-san. I wished to gain some ideas by speaking with you…"

It was after that initial meeting that Arya decided it would be best to remain in contact with Clow Reed, for several reasons. One was to learn from him, to be able to ensure a good future for her Wraith Cards once she was gone. Another was that she enjoyed his company; talking to Clow made Arya feel as if she did not have the burden of a terrible reputation on her shoulders, that she was… as normal as a powerfully magical person could be. Not to mention the fact that the most human of the Wraith Cards, REFLECTION, seemed rather attracted to one of the Clow Cards. Arya had not thought it would be possible, but then again REFLECTION mimicked the way humans act, complete with emotions. It was only natural he would fall in love.

It was because of that realization Arya suggested to Clow that they have REFLECTION and MIRROR meet to exchange messages; the sorceress had no doubt that Clow knew the main reason that she had suggested that idea, besides remaining in contact. But she was able to watch as REFLECTION and MIRROR grew closer, their bond strengthening. And even when Arya and Clow would meet face-to-face, the two Cards would remain in their true forms, confirming Arya's suspicions that Clow knew her ulterior motive for the two Cards.

Meanwhile, the Guardians seemed to be getting along pretty well, despite the fact that Lunarus somehow knew exactly what to do and/or say to annoy Yue more than Cerberus thought was possible. Whether by accident or on purpose no one was sure, but Solarus seemed to be opting for the latter. "There is no way he could annoy him each time by accident," the Sun Guardian would say. "And he hasn't missed a chance to become more annoying yet!"

All in all, things were going well. But then… things became even better…

"Rifu-san!"

Hearing that familiar, melodic voice, the boy turned to smile at the girl who had called out to him. REFLECTION and MIRROR were obviously in disguise, and therefore they needed names for when they were disguised… when they weren't filling in for someone. "Kagami-chan! I was wondering where you were. How's life?"

Disguised MIRROR just smiled, shaking her head. "Rifu-san, don't start going on about the 'meaning of life' again. Last time that happened it wasn't until sunset that we returned to Hitoraumi-sama and Clow-sama. Um, but that's not to say that it wasn't interesting to listen to…"

"But isn't it a wonderful mystery to think about?" REFLECTION asked, him and MIRROR walking side-by-side. They were going to "their" spot, a small hill that overlooked a gently flowing river. It was a hill where an ancient cherry blossom stood, a lone guardian of that place. It was a peaceful spot to pause and ponder about many things, or to simply chat with a friend. Or, during sunrise and sunset, a wonderful background to a romantic scene. Though REFLECTION privately hoped for that last part, he didn't think it would be that way anytime soon. Sure, he and MIRROR were great friends, but he didn't know if that was as far as her feelings for him went. And he didn't want to risk their friendship on one small foolish mistake. Or a big foolish mistake.

"If you think about it, life is an enigma whose secrets won't be given up so easily. It is what gives the sakura the ability to bloom in the springtime, only to lose their petals until the next year, when they flourish in full bloom once more. All things revel in the life that they live, some understanding how short it is for them, while others relax because they have many many years of it left. And though there is always death at the end, new lives are always being brought into this world, if not one minute then the next. A continuous cycle, spiralling upwards until death, where it must begin all over again. But what is the meaning of it all? Is that all there is to it, for life to continue until death, when everything is undone and must be done again? Or perhaps there is some greater meaning, for life is always beginning anew, and death never occurs all at once."

"But Rifu-san, death doesn't undo everything that life brings," MIRROR said softly, a gentle smile on her lips. She always wondered why REFLECTION seemed so worried about life and death, for as they were beings created by magic they wouldn't die unless destroyed or if their current master wasn't powerful enough to support them. And seeing as their masters were two very powerful magicians, with Clow Reed considered the most powerful of all, the latter was unlikely. They and their fellow Cards, whether Wraith or Clow, were taken care of very well, so the former was also just as unlikely. _I wish I understood REFLECTION better... Maybe, someday, he will open his heart and mind to me... or perhaps... today? _She continued on with her reply, "When a mother gives birth to her child, even should she die, that child will continue to live. And there will be others who had been touched by her words and actions, whose lives were altered in some way by her, their lives continuing on. Indeed, her death would affect them as much as her life had, so death is also a way to create..."

REFLECTION grinned and nodded to show that he agreed with her, and it did indeed give him more to think about. "Death is, unfortunately, needed to give way to the new lives that are created. And death is a natural occurence, something that all things are destined for in the end. I suppose, then, that all that matters is how one lives out their life so that they can give it their own meaning, or so that others would be able to. Individual lives are, I suppose, like pebbles tossed into a pond; some will leave small ripples that fade away quicker, forgotten, or create bigger ripples that spread all across the pond, lasting much longer and much more memorable. But even when the ripples are gone, the pebbles will still lie at the pond's bottom. So death isn't permanent, then, for memories will leave behind proof that such a life has been lived, memories that can be passed on through stories, from one to another. Isn't that how legends are made?"

"It is indeed," MIRROR replied, leaning back against the cherry blossom tree as she sat at its base, watching the sun. It was about to set soon, and REFLECTION sat next to her, his eyes not on the sun, though, but on the girl. Even in her disguise, she was beautiful to him. He had never quite met anyone like her, and not because she was a Clow Card. There was no human REFLECTION had ever met or seen with MIRROR's personality, how some moments she liked to tease and play pranks, while others she was considerate and kind-hearted, not to mention a great person to have philosophical discussions with. As if sensing his gaze, MIRROR turned to look at him, her eyes meeting his. They were like that for a few moments before their faces reddened and they turned away from each other, hearts racing. A little hesitantly, as if not trusting her voice, she asked the question she'd been wondering for quite some time now, "Rifu-san... REFLECTION... could you tell me... um..."

"Tell you what?"

"Well... is there something that... that's bothering you? You're always talking about life and death... I was just wondering..."

REFLECTION looked at her for a few moments, silent. He hadn't expected her to ask such a question, and he wasn't sure how to answer it. After all, REFLECTION was worried that his reason for always wondering about life and death would seem silly and ruin her image of him. But not answering her, or trying to side-step her question, would make MIRROR wonder even more. So all he could do was answer; besides, it felt better to tell someone about his impossible wish, and he had been planning to tell her sometime anyways. Not looking at MIRROR, REFLECTION turned his gaze to the sun, where it was barely touching the horizon as it sank. "The reason... well, you see, there is this dream I've always had, ever since I began getting use to my human emotions. I've always wondered... we can change our appearance, you and I, Kagami-chan, but we are still mere imitations, illusions, of actual humans. The only thing truly human about us would probably be our emotions! We can feel all the emotions humans enjoy, including... including... love..."

REFLECTION's face reddened more, as did MIRROR's as she turned to look at him. She could feel her heart racing, beating loudly within her chest. This emotion... it was one she had not experienced before in her short life, one so foreign and yet... it felt so _good_ as well. MIRROR noticed recently that this emotion always made itself known to her whenever she was around REFLECTION, whenever he said her name or made her smile. And being with him was different than being with the other Clow Cards... they were her family, of sorts, but he... he was more special... her feelings for him ran deeper than mere friendship. But she now knew the name of this mysterious emotion, one that hurt so much and yet filled her with joy. And REFLECTION was right; they really could feel what humans could, especially love. Not the sort of love like towards friends or family, but a deeper sort, the kind where the world would feel much more lonely and sad without it.

Now, perhaps, was the time to say it. REFLECTION had kept his feelings for her bottled up, secret, never saying a word of it no matter how much he wished to tell her. He had been afraid of ruining their friendship if she rejected his feelings, worried that there would never be a right time to tell her. But, somehow, now seemed like the right moment, the time to tell her. It had never occurred to him, in the past, that he would have been capable of falling in love. REFLECTION knew that all the Cards bore emotions, but he had never known that he would have been able to feel the most human of all emotions, that emotion which many claimed could survive even death. The Wraith Card had assumed that love was one emotion he would never have been able to feel, but apparently he had been wrong. And never before had he been so happy in his short life to be wrong.

"M-MIRROR..." REFLECTION took a deep breath, unsure of how to express himself. Uncertainty welled up within him, but he shoved it down, taking another deep breath. This was it, this was the time. The moment of truth. "I have... there's something that... that I want to tell you..."

MIRROR looked surprised, but expectant, paying careful attention to what he was about. But the Clow Card had a feeling... somehow, she had a feeling about what it was he wanted to say, a feelign that pleased her. But what if she was wrong? What if he was about to say something different, because he didn't feel the same way about her that she did for him? Such questions that ran through her mind made her nervous, her heart beating, faster and faster, harder and harder, so loud she wondered if REFLECTION could hear it. Little did she know that the Wraith Card was wondering if she could hear _his_ heartbeat.

"Ever since we met... no, ever since I first saw you... I've hoped that we would be friends. Thanks to Clow Reed-sama and Arya-sama, that hope has become a reality. We've spent so much time together, talking, laughing... it always made me happy to see your smile, day after day. You are wonderful, MIRROR... I've never met anyone like you, ever. And I don't think I ever will, because... because..." REFLECTION faltered for a second, before regaining some courage from the fact that MIRROR was still listening, "you're a special person to me, MIRROR. I've never felt this way before, not towards anyone. Even when we part, for Arya-sama is always travelling from place to place, I know I would never be able to find anyone that means as much to me as you do. MIRROR... I... what I'm trying to say is..."

The moment of truth had arrived; MIRROR held her breath, hoping, hoping so much. REFLECTION fidgeted for a moment before he said those fateful words, "I love you."

It was a moment that left a greater impact on her than she had expected. Such joy, out of just hearing those three simple words! Words that contained such power, a power that even Clow Reed admitted was unpredictable. MIRROR just sat there, staring at REFLECTION, and he could feel his heart slowly beginning to break. But what took him by surprise was when she threw herself at him, pulling him into a tight embrace. REFLECTION dropped his disguise at the same moment MIRROR did, having forgotten the need for illusions. He could feel warm droplets falling onto his shoulder, and he realized that she was crying. "MIRROR?..."

She loosened her grip on him, drawing back so she could look him eye to eye. It was true that MIRROR had been crying, and as she looked at him tears still fell. But more importantly, she was smiling, a joyous smile. "REFLECTION... I-I had a feeling... but I wasn't sure... thank you for telling me, REFLECTION... because the truth is that I... I..." MIRROR was slowly closing the distance between them, her eyes locked with REFLECTION's. "I love you too..."

"MIRROR..." REFLECTION could feel an unfathomable joy from hearing those words, words that carried great meaning. As MIRROR leaned closer to him, he found himself being drawn towards her, his eyes unable to leave hers. Slowly, slowly, until they were mere centimeters away from each other, they hesitated. That hesitation lasted for but a short moment before their lips met, a soft gentle touch. But, drawing courage from each other, they met fully, each aware of the other's taste upon their own lips. Such simple contact, which awakened such deep emotions within them! Unfortunately, such a wonderous moment had to end, and they parted slowly, breathing in each other's scent.

Some time later, MIRROR and REFLECTION sat side by side, her head resting on his shoulder, their fingers intertwined, watching as the sun set beyond the horizon. They had been sitting like this for awhile, not saying anything, simply enjoying the fact that they were together. Neither of them wished for such a moment to end, but it was getting late. MIRROR knew this; she also knew that it had to be her to say so to him. "We have to go, REFLECTION... it's getting late, Arya-sama and Clow-sama are going to be worried..."

"I know," REFLECTION replied softly; he knew it was selfish of him to not want to leave, but the moment was just so... well, he simply didn't wish for it to end. But MIRROR had a point. Sighing, he slowly got up, helping MIRROR up as he did so. He was surprised when MIRROR took his hand in hers, intertwining her fingers with his. But he was surprised in a pleasant way. Smiling at her, he reflected upon what had just occurred, and knew that from then on things would never be the same. "Let's go."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_Love works in mysterious ways, does it not?_ Arya mused, thinking about how close MIRROR and REFLECTION had seemed when the two Cards had returned to Clow's mansion. They'd even been holding hands, something which had confirmed Arya's suspicions. But she was happy for her Wraith Card and for the Clow Card, and pleased that her plan had suceeded in bringing them together. At the moment, she was relaxing within a small magical space she had created herself, one which would only let those she allowed in enter. No one else would be able to find it. Lunarus was off somewhere, at some destination that he probably thought she didn't know about, and Solarus was curled up asleep at her feet. The space Arya had created had walls of pure white marble, as did the floor, but it was translucent, allowing her to gaze at the night stars. The book which held all her Wraith Cards lay on a table next to her, the chair she sat in comfortably padded but with a skeletal frame (A/N: To clear things up, it simply has a thin metal frame; it DOES NOT look like its made of bones!!).

Lunarus, Arya knew, was off to see someone he had fallen in love with. But she was saddened by the knowledge that he would not be able to have the girl, as she already had a lover. And although Lunarus knew that, too, he still flew off every night to see her, to watch her. _At least REFLECTION was able to find one to love him in return_, Arya thought, her lips curving into a smile. It soon turned to a frown, however, as she remembered the curse that she carried like the plague. A curse that she despised, placed on her by her former apprentice. And it was a curse that drew power from its caster's death; because her apprentice had taken her own life after spitefully placing the curse on her, it was stronger than when it had been cast. The curse was the primary reason for her to learn as many magic styles as possible, to find a way to dispel it. _I am grateful to Clow-san for understanding my situation... I doubt I'd ever meet anyone else quite like him._ He was her last chance to finding a way to dispel the curse, and Clow had reassured her that he would be happy to help her find a spell to rid her of it.

_But I still have this curse on me... even with all his magic, am I going to be the one responsible for killing the only one who had shown me such kindness?_ That was what worried her, the thought that by meeting Clow Reed she might kill him because of her curse. But then, the only magical people that had died near Arya (that she had known were magical) were those who had tried to kill her; those cases had been matters of self-defense. And Clow Reed was a very powerful magician; perhaps he wouldn't be affected by it? The hope was slim, but the sorceress knew that possibility was still there. The only problem was time. How much time was left until the dreaded day came? Would there be enough time left for her to find a way to counter the curse?

Hopefully, there would. If not, she knew her own death would be a long and painful one, with the deaths of many on her conscience.

**Author's Notes: Do they ever find a way to dispel the curse? How long will REFLECTION and MIRROR's relationship last? And I'm glad I finally got this posted! Geez... anyways, it might take awhile for the next chapter as I'm still working on my Lucky Star fanfic too. Anyways... -pirouettes- Stay tuned!**


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